Chapter 2 History of Recreation

1. Chapter 2 History of Recreation C H A P T E R 2 History of Recreation M. Rebecca Genoe, Douglas Kennedy, and Jerome F. Singleton

2. Tracing the Roots of Leisure in Canada and the United States Development of leisure was influenced by the following: • Historical events of the time • Societal expectations of the time • Generations of immigrants • From prehistoric societies, European influences, and early settlement to the present day

3. Emergence of Playin Prehistoric Society Play was used to do the following: • Depict historical events, transportation practices, war games, and the use of farm tools • Prepare children for their responsibilities as youth and adults • Achieve solidarity and morality • Serve as a healing experience, to relax and recover • Serve as a means of communication, pleasure, and entertainment and as a means of replenishing strength after working (Kraus, 1971)

4. Ancient Greece • Athenian ideal: • Combination of soldier, athlete, artist, statesman, and philosopher (Shivers & deLisle, 1997). • Plato and his student Aristotle: • Leisure was route to happiness and the good life. • Contemplation and the pursuit of truth and understanding were thought to be the highest forms of leisure (Dare, Welton, & Coe, 1987).

5. Beliefs of Athenian Philosophers • Play was essential to the healthy physical and social growth of children (Ibrahim, 1979). • Leisure was an opportunity for the following: • Intellectual cultivation • Music • Theatre • Poetry • Political and philosophical discussions (continued)

6. Beliefs of Athenian Philosophers (continued) • Schole: • To cease and have quiet or peace; to have time for oneself; to be occupied in something for its own sake (Ibrahim, 1991). • To embrace the experience and not the outcome.

7. Ancient Greek Athletic Games • Males celebrated religious rites and heroes for entertainment and for pleasure. • Chariot races, combat events, boxing, wrestling, foot races, and the pentathlon. • Competed individually, representing their home villages (Ibrahim, 1991). • Fighting to the death was considered noble and would immortalize the competitor for generations. • Women were excluded from public life (Shivers & deLisle, 1997).

8. Ancient Rome Five distinct classifications of citizens: • Senators • Owned most of the land and power • Curiales • Owned 25 or more acres (10 ha) of land • Officeholders or tax collectors • Plebes • Free common men • Owned small properties or were tradesmen or artisans (continued)

9. Ancient Rome (continued) • Coloni • Lower-class tenants on land • Slaves • Indentured, exploited by their owners (Shivers & deLisle, 1997)

10. Opportunity for Leisure in the Roman Era Limited to people who had the appropriate resources. • Senators enjoyed almost unlimited leisure, whereas coloni struggled to make a comfortable life. Today, distinct economic classes continue to enjoy various degrees and types of leisure.

11. Differences Between the Play of Greeks and Romans • The Greeks saw leisure as an opportunity for well-rounded development. • The Romans perceived leisure to be primarily rest from work. • Constantly sought to dominate foreign cultures. • Play was utilitarian rather than aesthetic or spiritual (Horna, 1994).

12. Play and the Growth of the Roman Empire • Leisure was increasingly used to control the masses. • More slaves led to less work required of the Romans. • Daily work decreased and leisure time increased (Horna, 1994). • By 354 A.D., Rome had more than 200 public holidays and 175 game days to pacify unrest (Horna, 1994).

13. Middle Ages As the Roman Empire collapsed, the Catholic Church became the dominant structure (Shivers & deLisle, 1997). • Rejected the activities of the Roman Empire (Horna, 1994). • Believed “idleness was the great enemy of the soul.” • Clergy provided values of what was accepted in society to save a person’s soul, the highest goal at the time. • The Catholic Church influenced beliefs about acceptable and unacceptable leisure opportunities.

14. Renaissance • Power shift from the church to the nobility included the following: • Play was perceived to be an important part of education. Rabelais (1490-1553) emphasized the need for physical exercise and games. • Montaigne (1533-1592) supported the concept of unity of mind, body, and spirit opposing the medieval ideal of separation or dualism of the mind and body. (continued)

15. Renaissance (continued) • Locke (1632-1704) believed that recreation was not being idle; recreation helped people wearied by their work to recover. • Rousseau (1712-1778) advocated for the full freedom of physical activity rather than constraint. • Play, both as a form of popular entertainment and as a medium of education, developed.

16. Protestant Reformation • Martin Luther and others questioned the practices of the church and split off into various Protestant religions. • Each religious group governed the perception of what was acceptable as leisure. • Play was often frowned upon as evil by certain churches during this transition. This belief affected the earliest development of leisure in Canada and the United States.

17. Development of Recreationin the United States and Canada • During the 19th century, governments in both countries played a role in the provision of recreation and leisure services. • Never static, recreation and leisure evolved through wars, the Great Depression, longer and shorter work weeks, and other periods in the United States. • In Canada the post–World War II era brought renewed interest in recreation services.

18. Early Settlement of America • Leisure in Jamestown, Virginia, 17th century: • Community was composed of aristocracy, adventurers, and traders. Exploration served the purposes of trade and profit (Shivers & deLisle, 1997). • Colonists loved sports, games, theater, books, music, and exercise and continued to pursue these activities. • Governors banned recreational activities because of the harsh conditions that the colonists faced and the need for diligence to ensure survival (Shivers & deLisle, 1997). (continued)

19. Early Settlement of America (continued) • Leisure in New England: • Settlers were Calvinists, escaping persecution in Europe. • All forms of recreation were illegal. Frugality, hard work, self-discipline, and observance of civil and religious codes were valued. • Leisure was considered a sin. Puritans should avoid pleasure in their own lives and struggle against pleasure in the community (Cross, 1990). • Recreation was tolerated if it could help with work.

20. American Revolution Western expansion brought new leisure pursuits. Settlers were no longer solely European but were increasingly born in America. • Physical survival was needed in the West; shooting and wrestling matches, jumping contests, footraces, tomahawk hurling, and rail flinging were popular (Ibrahim, 1991). • Free time for frontier families had to be useful, and laboring activities were turned into recreation (Shivers & deLisle, 1997).

21. Early Park Developmentin the United States • Early colonialists realized that open space was important to growing communities. • In Boston and Halifax, “commons” were set aside for communal activity and meeting space. • The Boston Common, established in 1634, is the first municipal park in the United States(Kraus, 2001). • Frederick Law Olmsted designed Central Park in New York and municipal parks in Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Chicago. • Adapted the English style of a natural park to the rectangular restrictions of American parks (Ibrahim, 1991). • Established the basis for city parks throughout the United States.

22. Government Involvement: United States • Decreased working time during the Great Depression meant that more time was available for leisure activities. The government • developed organizations to protect natural resources and preserve them for future generations, and • tackled societal problems of the day through concern for the leisure-related issues facing their citizens.

23. Emergence of Professional Organizationsin the United States • In 1906, Jane Addams, Joseph Lee, and Luther Gulick organized the Playground Association of America. • Today, the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) have emerged as leaders.

24. Post–World War II Growth:United States • Renewed desire to live life: • Suburbs and affordable housing • Mobile society through reasonably priced automobiles; increased vacation opportunities • Birth of therapeutic recreation as a distinct discipline • President’s Council on Youth Fitness created by President Eisenhower (continued)

25. Post–World War II Growth: United States (continued) • Impact of national affluence: • Recreation services adopted marketing model. • Conspicuous consumption emerged. • Private club memberships grew, second homes were purchased, and increasingly expensive pieces of recreation equipment were within reach.

26. Early Settlers in Canada • The Norse explored the west Atlantic Coast in approximately 1,000 A.D. and settled in Newfoundland (Francis et al., 1988). • In 1497, John Cabot’s expedition reached the continent of North America at Newfoundland. Fur trade was soon established with the natives. • Because a great deal of hard labor and preparation for winter was required, recreation opportunities were limited for the early settlers (Harrington, 1996).

27. Colonization in Canada • Between 1604 and 1607 the first Acadian settlement (French speaking) was formed when Samuel de Champlain explored the coastline of the Maritimes and wintered in Port Royal. This was the first agricultural settlement in Canada. • Champlain founded the Order of Good Cheer, the first social club in Canada (Francis et al., 1988).

28. Park Development in Canada The first park in Canada, the Halifax Common, was established in 1763. • Designated for exercise for the militia in the early years • Largely used for walking, sitting, driving, bird watching, and enjoying the plant life (McFarland, 1970) • Later used for skating, lawn tennis, croquet, and archery (Wright, 1983)

29. Playground Movement in Canada • Concern for those who lived in overcrowded areas with high crime rates and disease led to the playground movement (McFarland, 1970). • Play was the only appropriate method of physical development for children and was necessary for their health, strength, and moral character (Searle & Brayley, 1993). • In 1893, the National Council of Women played a major role in initiating the playground movement (McFarland, 1970). • Playgrounds could be used to teach health and social customs in a play environment (McFarland, 1970).

30. Government Involvement: Canada • Land for parks in Canada were deeded or leased to municipalities from the federal or provincial governments. • In 1883, Ontario passed the Public Parks Act to establish parks in cities and towns with the consent or petition of the electors. • In the 1940s, the National Physical Fitness Act influencedmunicipal recreation. (continued)

31. Government Involvement: Canada (continued) • The Interprovincial Sport and Recreation Council developed the National Recreation Statement in 1987. • Parks Canada, a federal agency, provides recreation opportunities for Canadians. Its mandate is to protect and present examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and to foster understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment to ensure this heritage.

32. Emergence of Professional Organizations in Canada • The Parks and Recreation Association of Canada was formed in 1945. • After World War II, government was called on to provide parks, playgrounds, and recreation services. • In 1970, the name was changed to the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association. Its mission is to do the following: • Build healthy communities and enhance quality of life and environment. • Communicate and promote the values and benefits of parks and recreation. • Respond to diverse changing social, economic, and political needs within the country; provide educational opportunities. • Providing a second voice, the Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance was formed.

33. Post–World War II Growth: Canada • The 1960s were characterized by renewed concern for physical fitness with passage of the Fitness and Amateur Sport Act (Searle & Brayley, 1993). • In 1971, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau created ParticipACTION, a nonprofit organization to promote a healthy, physically active lifestyle to battle rising health care costs (Canadian Public Health Association, 2004).

34. Leisure and Recreation: Similarities Between Canadaand the United States • All three levels of government in both countries have played important roles in providing recreation services by providing funding and delivering direct recreation services. • Leisure and recreation are seen as critical components of a healthy society and are of concern for both governments. This notion mirrors a trend that started long before in ancient Rome.

35. Summary Leisure is affected by past perceptions of the following: • Prehistoric societies • Ancient Greeks • Ancient Romans • Catholic Church • Protestant Reformation • Renaissance (continued)

36. Summary (continued) Leisure is affected by past perceptions of the following: • Exploration and settlement of both Canada and the United States • Playground movement in both the United States and Canada • All levels of government in both countries • Growth of professional organizations • Post–World War II challenges and changes • Leisure needs of women or underrepresented groups