Fit Body, Fit Mind
Fit Body, Fit Mind
Scandinavian Youth and the Value of Work, Education, and Physical Fitness in Progressive-Era Chicago
This chapter focuses on the efforts of Scandinavian students in Chicago to bring organized recreation and sports into their schools during the Progressive Era. It begins by revisiting the conflict that arose from the construction of a gymnasium proposed by Scandinavian youth at the North Park College and Theological Seminary, with particular emphasis on the issue of intellectual and physical fitness. It describes the controversy as a reflection of young immigrants' strong work ethic as well as their views about the value of their education and what they wanted out of it, rather than allow their parents to dictate their lives for them. It also provides a background on Scandinavian children and youth in Progressive-Era Chicago and concludes with an analysis of their living patterns and personal decisions as well as their desire to be “American” even as they showed pride in their ethnic identities as Scandinavian Americans.
Keywords: work ethic, education, Scandinavian students, Chicago, recreation, sports, Scandinavian youth, physical fitness, immigrants, Scandinavian Americans
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