Summary
In his seminal work, On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin outlined how species evolve. He prophesied that the human race would similarly evolve. His evolutionary model held blacks to be at the lowest level of evolution amongst human races, and Caucasians to be relatively at the apex. Savages and blacks were deemed to be the missing link between humans and primates. In Darwins framework, handicapped children were those who had missed the evolutionary train. Darwins theories were abrogated by racists, who argued for schools to be reserved for those most adept to gain from education; by this token, blacks and special children did not qualify.