1. 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

2. 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

3. Beck 3
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

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

5. Beck 5
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”).

6. 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>.
“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>.

7. Beck 7
“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>.