1904 olympics st. louis and an introduction to sports and international politics

1904 Olympics

St. Louis and an introduction to

sports and international

politics

What you need to know?

Why St. Louis? Lincoln’s lost debate

Westward expansion: Louisiana Expo

Spanish-American War

Thesis

Sports represents the attitudes, beliefs and ideas of a given culture

Therefore, the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympics represents....

I. St. Louis - historical location

Selection of World’s Fair location

role of Washington University

1800s Gateway to the West

Pictures

II. Westward expansion

The games became a justification for Manifest Destiny (Lewis & Clark)

the fair: on the pike

Indians “on display”: Chief Joseph, Red Cloud, Seven Rabbits

Sept. 15 - recreation of Custer’s last stand and Battle of Wounded Knee

Wild West Show

Lewis and Clark recreations

the sports and the West

various Indian groups participated in “non-official” anthropological games

(bare) foot races

American football games

Implied throughout 1) inferiority of Native Americans 2) gifts of Western civilization

III. Imperialism

The games became a justification for keeping the Philippines

Spanish American War

U.S. fought Spain in 1898 over Cuba

U.S. took control of Spanish colony of Philippines as means of global expansion

Debate in U.S.: do we want to be an empire? do we want colonies around the world?

No - no empireHypocrisy of rights and freedoms

Too expensive

Too far away

Anti-imperialism league

African Americans

Aguinaldo

Teddy Roosevelt

Labor unions

Yes - keep Philippinesvillages showed primitive nature of “savages”

Dogtown myth

modern sciencespsychologists and anthropologists met to “test” theories on racial superiority

supposed proof for “white man’s burden”

fair and Olympics became propaganda for eugenics, social darwinism

Anthropological DaysEvents like: mud fighting, rock throwing, pole climbing, spear throwing

Teams of Pygmies, Filipinos, Patagonians and various American Indian tribes

Countries “displayed” their colonial subjects

wydown

Lindell

SkInker

Big Bend