In 1811, on a small grassy field outside Berlin, Germany, a teacher and philosopher named Frederick Ludwig Jahn established the first turnplatz for physical training. Taken from the German verb turnen, meaning “to do gymnastic exercises,” Jahn’s training field was designed to develop physical fitness and national pride among German youths.
Within two decades, Turner organizations were established throughout Germany. The clubs promoted the philosophy that a strong mind and a strong body make a strong, worthwhile citizen. Physical training was soon combined with intellectual training, with an emphasis on rhetoric, debate, and reading. German emigrants to America brought with them the Jahnian program of mental and physical fitness, and by 1848, turnverein, or Turner’s clubs, were established in Louisville and Cincinnati.
In many ways, the American Turner groups inspired other philosophies advocating the importance of joint mental and physical development. Czech immigrants, for example, brought the Sokol movement with them to America, a program that followed closely the Turner ideals and is still evident through active chapters in several American cities. The YMCA movement, with its so-called “Muscular Christianity” standards, also emphasized that a strong body, strong mind, and strong spirit leads to a useful person in society.
