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First Physical Education Teacher in the United States
In 1825 Charles Beck became the first recognized teacher of physical education in the U.S. He taught at Round Hill School in Northhampton, Massachusetts, where he developed a program of German gymnastics. -
First College Gymnasium
The first college gymnasium was opened at Harvard College by Charles Follen in 1826. He also was an advocate of the German system. -
Amherst College
Importance of Physical Education In 1861 Amherst College in Amherst, MA becomes first college to establish first men physical eduaction program. Previously bounded by religious prohibitions, this was a big improvement because the importance of exercise and fitness began to become accepted. -
Normal Institute of Physical Education
In Boston the Normal Institute of Physical Education was founded by Dio Lewis. Concerned with proper health of Americans, Lewis advocated for healthy diet and regular exercise. He used a system of gynastic exercise as well. -
California State Legislation
In 1866 in California, the first state legislation was passed that required physical education. This legislation help to ensure some sort of phyiscal activity for students at school. -
Swedish Gymnastics
In 1883 Hartvig Nissen introduced Swedish gymnastics to the United States. Nissen introduced Swedish gymnastics in Washington, DC. Unlike the German system of gymnastics, the Swedish system was more therapeutic and focused on resistance exercise. -
Adelphi Conference
At the Adelphi Conference in 1885, the Association for the Advancement of Physical Education was formed. This association was formed to better prepare professional with the skills they need to teach physical education. -
National Education Association
The National Education Association recognized physical education as a curricular field. This allowed for physical educators to meet as specialists in a fully recognized school subject. Also, the physical education profession began to viewed education rather than medicine as the parent field. -
Master's Degree Program
In 1901 the first master's degree program in physical education started at Teachers College. This was a huge leap for physical educators, allowing them to expand their knowledge and better teach the curriculum. -
The New Physical Education
The New Physical Education In 1927 The New Physical Education was published by Thomas Wood and Rosiland Cassidy. This was a landmark text and the importance of physical education was finally realized.
