Changes

There were perhaps no more than 100 summer camps by the end of the 19th century. However, within the first decade of the 20th century, that number expanded to 1000. By 1910, Alan S. Williams founded the American Camp Association, which began to create certified standards for camps, that included more regimented activities, health standards, and requirements for having a good camp. Children by then would now go for nearly the entire summer camps, sometimes not returning to their homes until the end of the summer. While many of the early camps focused on upper class, and increasingly middle-class boys, by the time of World War I, it was seen that girls also needed to go away to summer camps. Summer camps for girls began to cater to what they believed would be important life skills for girls, mainly homelife, sew, and prepare for motherhood. Families by the 1920s began to also fear the so-called "Flapper" culture, where women increasingly wore shorter skirts, smoked, and embraced their sexuality. This was also the period of prohibition and increasing crime. These were seen as corrupting activities that many families feared would corrupt their girls, leading to specialized summer camps for girls that became an anti-culture to the Flappers. 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. 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. Increasingly, 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 argue that summer camps, at least in places, may have helped to divide society rather than help it come together, but for many groups, they were seen as important activities to help their children establish their social 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, to help with the war effort, 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 towards activities that helped acculturate children.<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>