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[[File:Screen-Shot-2018-12-05-at-10.19.24-AM-1632x1120.png|thumbnail|left|300px|Figure 1. In the late 1800s, summer camps were seen as places for boys to escape urban and indoor life that may otherwise make them too feminine, at least according to some.]]__NOTOC__For children and adolescents, summer camp has been a fixture of American life. In the summer months, parents have often placed their children in summer camps to avoid boredom or even keep them out of trouble. Summer camps can be educational but also fun for those involved, helping to get through the summer months. For adults, it provides a form of childcare as well. The history of summer camps has in the United States has its origin in the evolution of modern, industrial life in the 19th century that changed the national economy and country.

==Early History The history of Summer Camps==summer camps has in the United States has its origin in the evolution of modern, industrial life in the 19th century that changed the national economy and country.

==Development ==Early History of Summer Camps ====Perhaps the first organized summer camp for children occurred in Gunnery, Connecticut, where Frederick W. Gunn, a well-known abolitionist, established a recreational camp. Already then it was seen as a place where young children can connect with nature. As the 2oth Century==Industrial Age progressed after the Civil War in the 1870s, families began to increasingly migrate to cities, escaping country life that also promised fewer opportunities for outdoor activities for families. As adults, often men, worked in factories and sometimes offices, children would often have little to do, in particular during the summer months when there were prolonged breaks from school.

There were perhaps no Increasingly, as families began to spend more than 100 summer camps by the end of their time in the 19th century. Howevercity, within the first decade they also saw that children would spend a lot of the 20th centurytime indoors, that number expanded to 1000where many urban houses or apartments also offered limited outdoor space. By 1910, Alan S. Williams founded the American Camp Association, which began to create certified standards This was seen as particularly a problem for campsboys, that included more regimented where outdoor activities, health standards, and requirements were seen as a way for having a good camp. Children by then would now go for nearly the entire summer camps, sometimes not returning boy to their homes until the end of the summerdevelop into a man. While many Some held that if boys spent a lot of the early camps focused on upper class, and increasingly middle-class boys, by the time of World War Iat home, it was seen that girls also needed to go away to summer camps. Summer camps for girls began to cater to what rather than being outdoors as they believed would be important life skills for girls, mainly homelife, sew, and prepare for motherhood. Families by have in the 1920s began to also fear the so-called "Flapper" culturecountry, where women increasingly wore shorter skirts, smoked, and embraced their sexualitythey would become more feminized. This There was also the period of prohibition and increasing crime. These were seen as corrupting activities a fear that many families feared boys would grow up to be morally corrupt their girlsif they only experienced urban life, leading to specialized religious and community leaders pushing for the establishment of summer camps for girls that became . This helped to create an anti-culture initial movement to begin to develop summer camps more substantially across the Flappers. Additionallycountry, marginalized groups, including Native Americans and other ethnic minorities that became established in where the United States, also saw first summer camps as a way focused on opportunities for boys to escape "Americanization" of their cultures. While today we see summer camps as a distinctive hallmark of American summer culture, by reconnect with the 1920s outdoors and 1930s it was seen as a way to enculturate children from different cultures with their ethnic identitiesthe countryside.

Camps were also generally segregated, not only by sex but also by ethnic and racial divides. For African AmericansEffectively, Camp Atwater became one of the first dedicated earliest summer camps that focused mostly on middle-class African Americans were about escaping the big city and reconnecting with recreational, networking, and cultural activities for their childrennature so boys can be better men. Religious camps also became more frequent by the 1920s, with Christian People saw that being outdoors built character and Jewish groups establishing their own camps families began to educate place their children and provide activities during kids, mainly boys, into the relatively few summer months. Even camps for different political movements, such as socialists, began to be that established for summertime activities. Increasingly, summer camps were seen as a way to escape the larger culture and help with acculturation of themselves in the different sub1870s-groups that composed the United States1880s. One could argue that Camp Chocorua was an early dedicated summer campscamp, at least which was founded in placesNew Hampshire by Ernest Balch, may have helped to divide society rather than help it come together, but for many groups, they were who was a student at Dartmouth college at the time. This camp was seen as important activities a way for boys to heal from potentially negative effects of cities and help develop their children establish their social identity while also engaging in fun activitiescharacter. Summer camps thus became important Boys would get exposed to many culturesactivities such as swimming, rowing, and during the Depression yearseven shooting or hunting, the New Deal even helped finance summer with camps for children to keep also teaching them going during the difficult economic timesleadership skills.

What changed summer Summer camps arguably became not only places for playful activities and sports, but structured education, particularly with moral behavior, was World War II, where now part of the horrors of war began to hit home for routines. This also meant that many families. Childhood began to be seen early camps generally catered towards the upper classes as a time of innocencewell, rather than simply as middle and lower classes often could not afford the camps or needed to prepare someone for adulthoodhave their children around to help work in the factories or fields. Protecting childhoodEducators, rather than trying to get out of itphilanthropists, health professionals, and religious leaders all soon became a theme with major proponents of summer camps. Increasingly, as their interests aligned in seeing summer camps began to focus being beneficial not only towards boys but also society more generally (Figure 1). <ref>For more on the arts, playtime, establishment and devoted to activities that many would not do as adults. Summer early summer camps also became more integrated in placesthe 19th century, during the war yearssee: Paris, as resources were more limited to have too many campsL. However, some camps began to see it was important that even children help with 2010. <i>Children’s nature: the rise of the war effortAmerican summer camp</i>. Children became involved with farming and agricultural activities, such as tending to food gardensNew York University Press, to help with the war effortNew York, which allowed them to be busy outdoors while also helping with the wider war effortNY.</ref>{{Mediawiki:TabletAd1}}<div class="portal" style='float:right; width:35%'>

==Recent Trends==Development of Summer Camps in the 20th Century====[[File:1935-Hive-Evening-Circle-620x406.jpg|thumbnail|left|300px|Figure 1. Summer camps were seen as an important investment by the government in the 1930s. ]]Today, There were perhaps no more than 100 summer camps are diverse in by the end of the 19th century. However, within the range first decade of activities they providethe 20th century, including raftingthat number expanded to about 1000. By 1910, sailingAlan S. Williams founded the American Camp Association, archerywhich began to create certified standards for camps, and other outdoor that included more regimented activities, as well as cultural health standards, and educational eventsrequirements for having a good camp. Camps also cater towards suburban childrenChildren by then would now go for nearly the entire summer, who do sometimes not venture far from returning to their homes and go only during the day, while others continue until the trend of overnight stays, sometimes lasting most end of the summer months. Camps are also diverse, with some very specialised with their activities, and perhaps out of reach for While many adults' pocketbooks, while others try to blend different children from different socio-economic backgrounds. With the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, including gamming, many adults see summer early camps as a way to escape modern lifefocused on the upper class, similar to how adults saw it and increasingly middle-class boys in the 19th early 20th century. This , by the time, however, it is of World War I families also began to escape technologies see that makeup daily life and help children better integrate with nature. For educators, it is girls also seen as a way for children needed to go away to appreciate nature and better understand threats such as climate and environmental change. Most of all, summer camps are seen as a fun experience during the summer where children can build life-long friendships and learn skills and hobbies they may not otherwise have opportunities to developthat this time could benefit them.

Additionally, marginalized groups, including Native Americans and other ethnic minorities that became established in the United States, also saw summer camps as a way to escape "Americanization" of their cultures and help establish their own cultural and social identities. While today we see summer camps as a distinctive hallmark of American summer culture, by the 1920s and 1930s it was seen as a way to enculturate children from different cultures with their ethnic identities.<ref>For more on the early 20th century and how summer camps expanded, see: Frost, J.L., 2010. <i>A history of children’s play and play environments: toward a contemporary child-saving movement</i>. Routledge, New York. </ref>  Camps were also generally segregated, not only by sex but also by ethnic and racial divides. For African Americans, Camp Atwater became one of the first dedicated camps that focused mostly on middle-class African Americans with recreational, networking, and cultural activities for their children. Religious camps also became more frequent by the 1920s, with Christian and Jewish groups establishing their own camps to educate their children and provide activities during the summer months. Even camps for different political movements, such as socialists, began to be established for summertime activities.  While summer camps were seen as a way to escape the larger culture and help with acculturation of the different sub-groups that composed the United States, one could also argue that summer camps, at least in places, may have helped to divide society rather than help it come together. Nevertheless, for many social groups, summer camps were seen as important for providing cultural and social activities to help their children establish their distinct identity while also engaging in fun activities. Summer camps thus became important to many cultures, and during the Depression years, the New Deal even helped finance summer camps for children to keep them going during the difficult economic times (Figure 1).<ref>For more on how summer camps were utilized by different social groups, see: Van Slyck, A.A., 2006. <i>A manufactured wilderness: summer camps and the shaping of American youth, 1890-1960, Architecture, landscape, and American culture series </i>. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. </ref> What changed summer camps arguably was World War II, where now the horrors of war began to hit home for many families. Childhood began to be seen as a time of innocence, rather than simply to prepare someone for adulthood. Protecting childhood, rather than trying to get out of it, became a theme with summer camps. Increasingly, summer camps began to focus on the arts, playtime, and devoted to activities that many would not do as adults. Summer camps also became more integrated in places, during the war years, as resources were more limited to have too many camps. However, some camps began to see it was important that even children help with the war effort. Children became involved with farming and agricultural activities, such as tending to food gardens, which allowed them to be busy outdoors while also helping with the wider war effort.  By the 1950s and 1960s, summer camps increasingly took their more modern form. Activities that promoted sporting activities, while also encouraging social activity, became common, although specialized summmer camps, such as for Jewish children, continued to also cater their activities that helped acculturate children. For some cultures, it was this period that saw summer camps become a fixture of growing up in the United States. <ref>For more on how summer camps changed at around the time of World War II and later, see: Bond, H.E., Brumberg, J.J., Paris, L., 2006. <i>A paradise for boys and girls”: children’s camps in the Adirondacks</i>, 1st ed. ed. Adirondack Museum/Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, N.Y. </ref><dh-ad/> ====Recent Trends====Today, summer camps are diverse in the range of activities they provide, including rafting, sailing, archery, and other outdoor activities, as well as cultural and educational events. Camps also cater towards suburban children, who do not venture far from their homes and go only during the day, while others continue the trend of overnight stays, sometimes lasting most of the summer months. Camps are also diverse, with some very specialized with their activities, and perhaps out of reach for many adults' pocketbooks, while others try to blend different children from different socio-economic backgrounds.  With the advent of the Internet and mobile devices, including gaming, many adults see summer camps as a way to escape modern life, similar to how adults saw it in the 19th century. This time, however, it is to escape technologies that makeup daily life and help children better integrate with nature. For educators, it is also seen as a way for children to appreciate nature and better understand threats such as climate and environmental change, with summer camps used also as a way to bring first-hand experiences to what is taught in classrooms. Most of all, summer camps are seen by parents as a fun experience during the summer where children can build life-long friendships and learn skills and hobbies they may not otherwise have opportunities to develop.<ref>For more on how modern summer camps are catering to today's world and children in America, see: Nadel, M., Scher, S., 2019. <i>Not just play: summer camp and the profession of social work</i>. Oxford University Press, New York. </ref> ====Summary====Summer camps have reflected America's changing and different attitudes towards urban life and its views of nature. some views have remained the same, with nature seen as a way to escape modern life. However, attitudes on who can go to summer camp have shifted. Initially, it was only boys, while girls, once they began to go, were relugated to activities that prepared them for motherhood. These attitudes, along with segregation of minorities and cultural groups, now done away with, although some may argue that class and racial divides are still evident in camps, where socio-economic status plays a role in the experience children have during the summer months.{{MediaWiki:AmNative}} ====References====<references/>[[Category:Wikis]][[Category:United States History]] [[Category: Social History]] [[Category:Gender History]]