ABSTRACT
Introduction America’s Progressive Era dated roughly from the early 1890s to 1919, from the Panic of 1893 (and the subsequent depression) to the end of World War I. This three-decade period encompassed a time of reform, experimentation, and innovation spearheaded by politicians, writers, educators, and activists. Americans coped with changes wrought by the onset of widespread urban growth and industrialization, seeking reforms that would reshape modern life. In the latter decades of the 1800s, moreover, new understandings of human origins emerged in the writings of Charles Darwin, and researchers began to realize the significance of the central nervous system. As a consequence, thinkers and reformers began to stress the essential role of the properly developed mind and active body, especially the healthy male body. Subsequently, progressives-many of whom were guided by a desire to make society safe for a white, middle-class, self-consciously rational “public”—envisioned a significant societal role for sport and education. To ensure a positive impact on the body, mind, and public, concerned Americans crafted reforms that conveyed a long-lasting impact on sport, education, and society.
