Alaina Beck

Mrs. Corbett

AP Literature

November 18th, 2011

History of the YMCA

“We’re not a church. We’re not a denomination. We’re not an army. We’re not in the

business to replace churches, but many people who step inside a YMCA may never set foot in a

church. Our mission, our purpose, our reason why is to teach, train equip, ad see people taking

responsibility for their own physical, mental and spiritual well-being. We believe in the whole

person” (“Some YMCAs Seek to Reclaim ‘C’ in the Name”). In the mid-1800s George Williams

started an organization meant to bring physical, mental, and spiritual values into people’s

everyday lives. Throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st Century it has developed into a community

safe haven for people of every background and is still influencing the lives of everyone who

walks through the door, and the Young Men’s Christian Association plans on a bright future

ahead.

The 19th Century was the start of a new revolution in giving back to the community. The

creation began “in 1844 [when] twelve young men led by George Williams founded the first

YMCA in London, England, their objective was the improvement of the spiritual condition of the

young men engaged in the houses of business, by the formation of Bible classes, family and

social prayer meetings, mutual improvement societies, or any other spiritual agencies” (History

of the World Alliance of YMCAs”). Williams and a clan of eleven other men set themselves on a

mission to brighten and nurture the lives of men throughout the country by volunteering their

time with athletic and Christian classes open to any Protestant man. The group had no idea what

they were starting and how much they would impact the world. A mere seven years later “retired

Boston sea captain Thomas Valentine Sullivan, working as a marine missionary, noticed a

similar need to create a safe “home away from home” for sailors and merchants. Inspired by the

stories of the Y in England, he led the formation ... at the Old South Church in Boston on

December 29, 1851” (“The Y: History-Founding”). The Boston Y was the first YMCA in

America, which led to the first African American Y in the world founded in 1853. A free slave,

Anthony Bowen, was the person to found this facility located in Washington, D.C. (“The Y:

History”). In connection with this Y, branches all over the country pulled together to help the

soldiers during the Civil War. The U.S. Christian Commission was created in 1861 to give relief

to soldiers on the battlefield. A recruitment of 5,000 YMCA volunteers, gathered by President

Abraham Lincoln, served the soldiers as surgeons, nurses, and chaplains (Maier 3). All of the

accomplishments that came about from the Civil War sparked interest even once the war was

over. One interest that sparked from this was the Y’s entrance into youth programs, which started

in Salem, Massachusetts, during the year 1869. Also the program ESL, English as a Second

Language, was established to develop Christian leadership through gymnasium activities (Maier

7). The next stage of the YMCA involves the creation of multiple sports that are still popular

today.

During the late 1800s, a change of pace in the forms of exercising was needed, which led

to new creations. Due to the need of physical classes, two popular sports, basketball and

volleyball, were invented in the 1890s by instructors at the Y. Basketball was created because an

instructor, James Naismith, was given two weeks in December of 1891 to think of a fun indoor

sport members could play during the winter. Naismith hung two peach baskets at the bottom of a

second level track and went from there. Volleyball, first called mintonette, was created because

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another instructor, William Morgan, though basketball was ‘too strenuous for businessmen’. He

decided to change this by combining basketball, handball, and tennis to create what now more

than 46 million Americans play (“The Y: History”). America’s most popular sport today,

Football, played its first professional game in 1895, in which the YMCA played, sponsored, and

lost 12-0 (Maier 11). By one action from a determined group of young men, a phenomenon was

developed that would soon spread across the world.

The YMCA had now reached out to more than 30 million people throughout the world.

The 20th Century, in relation to the YMCA, was all about strong values and strong leaders.

Kicking off he 1900s, with the help of the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America was founded

February 8th, 1910. A couple of years after this was the world’s first mass swim lessons. George

Corsan created this type of environment to teach soldiers how to swim during World War I

(Maier 12). Working with the Allied soldiers, basketball, baseball, and volleyball were given

widespread exposure in Western Europe. YMCA women were also a part of the war efforts by

helping in France (Maier 15). The YMCAs not only wanted to help the citizens in the moment,

they wanted to make certain the people were taken care of in the long run. The Chicago YMCA

Hotel opened its doors in 1916 with 1,821 rooms available. From then on, some YMCAs

followed suit and offered dormitory style rooms for the unemployed or homeless (Maier 17).

Some of America’s most influential people were guests at these facilities. Malcolm X, Martin

Luther King Jr., and Dave Thomas were just a few of the many who entered the doors (Famous

People and the YMCA). The early 1900s exemplified promise of the future to come.

The late 1900s showed promise as well, but had to be earned through strife and changes

of the world around them. “In 1942 YMCA staff worked secretly in U.S. interment camps

holding 110,000 Japanese Americans during World War II; the Y’s work consisted of clubs and

camping for the youngsters in the camps” (Maier 19). Since the Y was getting so much publicity

from their many public actions, they decided to update their logo to something more eye

catching. The new logo created in 1967 was a red triangle and bent bar forming a ‘Y’ shape

(“The History of the Y Logo”). During that year, racial discrimination was banned throughout

the Y association. An example of this was stated be Reverend Andrew Young, “The YMCA, as

much as any other institution, has a record of working for desegregation. The only place you

could meet in the South with blacks and whites together was the YMCA camp in North

Carolina.” In the year 1970 the YMCA was finally desegregated due to a court case held in 1969

(“Young Men’s Christian Association,” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). Now

showing their true moral value the YMCA collaborated with the NBA to establish the Youth

Basketball Association, which was created to stress skills and teamwork over winning at any cost

by being involved in a recreational sport (Maier 22). Close to twenty years later the Y gets

recognized for its true acceptance of all cultures. The YMCA in Jerusalem was nominated for the

Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 because it was the only place where Jews, Muslims, and Christians

would freely gather and share experiences (Maier 23). The 20th Century showed the Y’s true

colors by going through hard times and still sticking to their original foundations of strong

morals and values.

By the early 2000s the Young Men’s Christian Association had expanded to 45 million

members in close to 120 territories and countries (“Young Men’s Christian Association,”

Encyclopedia Britannica Online School). The 21st Century brought more horrendous

events that struck closer to home. Volunteers from YMCAs around the country responded to

crisis on September 11, 2001, the Pacific Rim tsunami of 2004, Hurricane Katrina of 2005, and

the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 by helping in any way they could. They rebuilt houses, brought

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over supplies, or were simply there to comfort the ones who lost everything and all hope. During

July 2004 they partnered with the CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, to reach

members to make the healthy choices in life (“The Y: History”). “In 2008, the Armed Forces

YMCA and YMCA of the USA partnered with the Department of Defense in the YMCA

Military Outreach Initiative, which funds memberships and child care services for families

facing the hardships of military deployment” (“The Y: History”). With the world becoming more

politically correct, the YMCA changed their name and logo to plainly ‘The Y’ to not

discriminate against other cultures and religions (“The History of the Y Logo”). Throughout the

hard times and the name changes The Y has been able to keep their hope alive by keeping a

strong mind, body, and spirit.

The Young Men’s Christian Association has become a staple non-profit organization that

has developed over the course of the 19th, 20th, and 21st Century. Throughout this time the large

association has grown to become a safe haven for those of any culture and religious background.

Over the past three centuries The Y has learned “that lasting personal and social change comes

about when [communities] all work together. That’s why, at The Y, strengthening community is

[their] cause. Every day, [they] work side-by-side with [their] neighbors to make sure that

everyone, regardless of age, income or background, has the opportunity to learn, grow and

thrive” (“The Y: About Us”).

Works Cited

“Famous People and the YMCA.” YMCA. N.p., Jan. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.oaheymca.org/ media/ 2011oaheymcaorg/ documents/ famous_people.pdf>.

“History of the World Alliance of YMCAs.” YMCA. N.p., 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.

<http://www.ymca.int/ who-we-are/ history/>.

“The History of the Y Logo.” YMCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ymca.net/

news-media/ y-logo-history.pdf>.

Maier, Daniel, ed. YMCA in America, 1851-2001: A History of Accomplishment over 150 Years.

Chicago: n.p., 2000. Print.

“Some YMCA’s Seek to Reclaim ‘C’ in the Name.” Christian Century: 18. Student Resource

Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ src/ pdf?sid=474bcc11-1470-

40d8-a879-03e4c9a5788b%40sessionmgr15&vid=6&hid=13>.

“The Y: About Us.” YMCA. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://ymca.net/ about-us/>.

“The Y: History.” YMCA. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ymca.net/ history/>.

“The Y: History-Founding.” YMCA. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ymca.net/

history/ founding.html>.

“YMCA of the Triangle.” YMCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://www.ymcatriangle.org/

About_the_Y/ History.aspx#Q1>.

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“Young Men’s Christian Association.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th ed. Columbia

UP. EBSCO. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ ehost/ detail?sid=384d52a8-

df82-431d-973b-81c4a7c790aa

%40sessionmgr112&vid=11&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#db=a9h&AN=39041057>.

“Young Men’s Christian Association.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online School Edition.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.school.eb.com/ eb/

article-9078072>.