Kinesiology and Physical Education History Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical figures, philosophies, religious perspectives, and milestones in physical education from the lecture transcript.

Aristotle

The student of Plato who went on to become the father of kinesiology.

Naturalism

A philosophy holding that importance and meaning come directly from the physical world.

Idealism

A philosophy holding that importance and meaning derive from the mind, human perceptions, and experiences.

Friedrich Jan

A German nationalist active in the early 1800s who promoted gymnastics to spread feelings of German nationalism and support the revolution against French Napoleonic rule.

Charles Beck

A student of Friedrich Jan who immigrated to America and became the very first official physical education teacher in the country, teaching German and gymnastics at Harvard.

Puritans

A religious group in New England who viewed sport and play as morally questionable, believed the human body was something to be ashamed of, and prioritized preparation for the afterlife.

Calvinists and Dutch Quakers

Mid-Atlantic settlers in places like New York and Pennsylvania who were okay with sport, though they did not actively celebrate it.

Catholics and Baptists

Religious groups in the South and Southeast of early America who were much more friendly toward sports than northern religious groups.

Watermen

Professional rowers who spent 50 to 80+ hours a week working on the water, whom upper-class amateur rowers refused to compete against.

Catherine Beecher

An educator who developed a lighter, aesthetic, and corrective calisthenics system for women geared toward health rather than intense competition.

Beecher's Calisthenics

A 19th-century exercise program designed specifically for women that prioritized corrective health benefits over competitive or intensive training.

Battle of the Systems

The historical debate regarding the proper educational background for physical education instructors, leading PE to shift from a branch of medicine to a branch of the School of Education.