Final answer:
Carrie Buck was deemed feebleminded and incarcerated for eugenics reasons, eventually being sterilized following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Buck v. Bell, which had widespread implications, including discrimination and stigmatization against marginalized groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carrie Buck was deemed feebleminded by the standards of the eugenics movement, which was prevalent in the early to mid-twentieth century. This movement championed the idea that society should discourage reproduction by those with perceived hereditary 'defects,' including those with intellectual or development disabilities, mental illnesses, and physical disabilities. As a result, Carrie Buck was incarcerated in the Virginia Colony for the Epileptic and Feebleminded.
Following the 1927 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Buck v. Bell, Carrie Buck was sterilized against her will. This decision upheld the right of state governments to forcibly sterilize people believed to be likely to have children who would be dependent on public welfare. Forced sterilization remained a symbol of the eugenics movement's harm, which also led to widespread discrimination and stigmatization of various marginalized groups.
Eugenic policies had several harmful social effects, including the perpetuation of racism, xenophobia, and segregation, as they were often targeted at minorities, immigrants, and the poor. These policies were infamously referenced and partially modeled by the Nazis for their own eugenic programs.