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This article is about the adult-education movement. For other uses of "Chautauqua," see Chautauqua (disambiguation).
Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua brought entertainment and culture for the whole community, with speakers, teachers, musicians, entertainers, preachers and specialists of the day. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was quoted as saying that Chautauqua is "the most American thing in America."
History
The Mother Chautauqua
The first Chautauqua, the
New York Chautauqua Assembly, was organized in 1874 by
Methodist minister
John Heyl Vincent and businessman
Lewis Miller at a campsite on the shores of
Chautauqua Lake in
New York State. Two years earlier, Vincent, editor of the
Sunday School Journal, had begun to train
Sunday school teachers in an outdoor
summer school format. The gatherings grew in popularity. The organization founded by Vincent and Miller later became known as the
Chautauqua Institution. It was called the Mother Chautauqua, because many independent, or "daughter" Chautauquas were developed under the same fashion.
The educational summer camp format proved to be a popular choice for families and was widely copied by the "daughter" Chautauquas. Within a decade Chautauqua assemblies (or simply Chautauquas), named for the original location in New York State, sprang up in various locations across North America. The Chautauqua movement may be regarded as a successor to the Lyceum movement earlier in the 19th Century. As the Chautauqua assemblies began to compete for the best performers and lecturers, lyceum bureaus assisted with bookings. The original site in Chautauqua, New York, near Jamestown, has hosted such diverse speakers and performers as Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys and former American vice president Al Gore.
Independent Chautauquas
Independent Chautauquas (or "daughter Chautauquas") operated at permanent facilities, usually fashioned after the Chautauqua Institute in New York. Such a Chautauqua was generally built in an attractive semi-rural location a short distance outside an established town with good
rail service. At the height of the Chautauqua movement in the 1920s, several hundred of these existed, but their numbers have since dwindled.
At least three Independent Chautauquas have operated continuously from the 1920s into the 21st century; if Chautauqua is construed to include camp meetings and Sunday School Assemblies, the number is higher. See 21st century Chautauquas.
An addition to the list is the Pennsylvania Chautauqua in Mt. Gretna PA, operating continuously since 1892.
Circuit Chautauquas
"Circuit Chautauquas" (or colloquially,
Tent Chautauquas) were an itinerant manifestation of the Chautauqua movement. The program would be presented in tents pitched "on a well-drained field near town." After several days, the Chautauqua would fold its tents and move on. The method of organizing a series of touring Chautauquas is attributed to
Keith Vawter, a Redpath Lyceum Bureau manager. Among early Redpath comedians was
Boob Brasfield.
Circuit Chautauqua began in 1904. In Vawter’s schema, each performer, or group, appeared on a particular day of the program. Thus “first day” talent would move on to other Chautauquas, followed by the “second day” performers, and so on, throughout the touring season. By the mid-1920s, when circuit Chautauquas were at their peak, they appeared in over 10,000 communities to audiences of more than 45 million; by about 1940 they had run their course.
Lectures
Lectures were the mainstay of the chautauqua. Prior to 1917, lectures dominated the circuit chautauqua programs. The reform speech and the inspirational talk were the two main types of lecture until 1913. Later topics included current events, travel and stories, often with a comedic twist.
The most popular speaker
William Jennings Bryan, with his populist and evangelical message addressing topics such as
temperance, was the most popular Chautauqua speaker, until his death in 1925.
The most famous speech
The most prolific speaker (often booked in the same venues with Bryan) was
Russell Conwell who delivered his famous "
Acres of Diamonds" speech 5,000 times to audiences on the Chautauqua and
Lyceum circuits.
Other speakers
Maud Ballington Booth, the "Little Mother of the Prisons," was another popular performer on the circuit. Booth’s descriptions of prison life would move her audiences to tears and rouse them to reform. On a lighter note, author
Opie Read's stories and homespun philosophy endeared him to audiences. Other well-known speakers and lecturers in Chautauqua events of various forms included Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
Champ Clark from Missouri, Missouri Governor
Herbert S. Hadley, and
"Fighting Bob" La Follette (governor of Wisconsin at the time). By 1929 a permanent Chautauqua Opera company had been established.
Political context
Chautauquas can be viewed in the context of the populist ferment of the late 19th century. Manifestos such as the "Populist Party Platform" voiced a disdain for political corruption and championed the plight of the common people in the face of the rich and powerful. Other favorite political reform topics in Chautauqua lectures included
temperance (even
prohibition),
women's suffrage and
child labor laws.
However, the Chautauqua movement usually avoided taking political stands as such, instead inviting public officials of all the major political parties to lecture, assuring a balanced program for the members of the assembly. For example, during the 1936 season at the Chautauqua Institution, in anticipation of the national election held that year for president, visitors heard not only addresses by Franklin Roosevelt and his Republican challenger Alf Landon, but from two third-party candidates.
The rise and decline of the Chautauqua Movement
The popularity of the Chautauqua movement can be attributed in part to the social and geographic isolation of American farming and ranching communities. People in such areas would naturally be hungry for education, culture and entertainment, and the Chautauqua Movement was a timely response to that need in the late 19th century and early 20th century. However, by the turn of the century, other entertainment and educational opportunities, such as
radio and
movies, began to arrive in American towns to compete with Chautauqua lectures. With the advent of
television and the
automobile, people could now watch or travel to cultural events previously available only in urban areas, and the Chautauqua Movement lost popularity. In the 1960s, activists held
teach-ins as part of their protests, which might be seen as a successor to the Chautauqua.
A typical chautauqua circuit of performances
The following is an example of a route taken by a troupe of Chautauqua entertainers. The troupe, the May Valentine Opera Compaany, performed
Gilbert and Sullivan's
The Mikado during their 1925 "Summer Season" which began March 26 in
Abbeville, Louisiana and ended on September 6 in
Sidney, Montana.
DeFuniak Springs, Florida
Abbeville, Louisiana
Orange, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
Brenham, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Navasota, Texas (April 1)
Galveston, Texas
Cuero, Texas
Beeville, Texas
Corpus Christi, Texas
San Marcos, Texas
New Braunfels, Texas
Uvalde, Texas
Del Rio, Texas
Marfa, Texas
El Paso, Texas
Globe, Arizona
Miami, Arizona
Mesa, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Calexico, California
Redlands, California
Pomona, California
Azusa, California
Glendale, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Paula, California
Lompoc, California
Santa Maria, California (May 1)
San Luis Obispo, California
Paso Robles, California
Pacific Grove, California
Hollister, California
Hanford, California
Tulare, California
Bakersfield, California
Delano, California
Porterville, California
Madera, California
Lodi, California
Los Gatos, California
Petaluma, California
Sebastopol, California
Santa Rosa, California
Fortuna, California
Eureka, California
Willits, California
Ft. Bragg, California
Lakeport, California
Richmond, California
Woodland, California
Sacramento, California
Grass Valley, California
Willows, California
Corning, California
Chico, California (June 1)
Quincy, California
Westwood, California
Alturas, California
Cedarville, California
Lakeview, Oregon
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Yreka, California
Medford, Oregon
Cottage Grove, Oregon
Lebanon, Oregon
Castle Rock, Washington
Centralia, Washington
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
Mt. Vernon, Washington
Monroe, Washington
Carnation, Washington
Leavenworth, Washington
Wenatchee, Washington
Chelan, Washington
Waterville, Washington
Almira, Washington
Wilbur, Washington
Tekoa, Washington
Garfield, Washington
Nezperce, Idaho
Grangeville, Idaho
Orofino, Idaho
Asotin, Washington
Pomeroy, Washington (July 1)
Dayton, Washington
Waitsburg, Washington
Kennewick, Washington
Goldendale, Washington
Hood River, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Newberg, Oregon
Myrtle Point, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Corvallis, Oregon
Monmouth, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Gladstone, Oregon
Raymond, Washington
Grays Harbor Aberdeen, Washington
Puyallup, Washington
Anacortes, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Ellensburg, Washington
Yakima, Washington
Sunnyside, Washington
Toppenish, Washington
Sandpoint, Idaho
Spirit Lake, Idaho
Hamilton, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Roundup, Montana
Lewistown, Montana
Billings, Montana (August 1)
Columbus, Montana
Laurel, Montana
Powell, Wyoming
Tooele, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Preston, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
Gooding, Idaho
Boise, Idaho
Nampa, Idaho
Parma, Idaho
Walla Walla, Washington
Colfax, Washington
Newport, Washington
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Colville, Washington
Bonner's Ferry, Idaho
Libby, Montana
Whitefish, Montana
Kalispell, Montana
Valier, Montana
Choteau, Montana
Conrad, Montana
Havre, Montana
Chinook, Montana
Malta, Montana
Glasgow, Montana
Wolf Point, Montana (September 1)
Scobey, Montana
Plentywood, Montana
Fairview, Montana
Glendive, Montana
Sidney, Montana
Sac City, Iowa
References
Further reading
Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman (1921): The Story of Chautauqua. New York: G.P. Putman's Sons.
What was Chautauqua? University of Iowa Libraries, accessed: 2006-03-18.
Galey, Mary (1981): The Grand Assembly: The Story of Life at the Colorado Chautauqua. Boulder, Colorado: First Flatiron Press, ISBN 0-9606706-0-2.
Gould, Joseph Edward (1961): "The Chautauqua Movement". Albany, New York. State University of New York Press, ISBN 0-87395-003-8.
Pettem, Silvia (1998): Chautauqua Centennial, a Hundred Years of Programs. http://www.silviapettem.com/books.html
Rieser, Andrew (2003): The Chautauqua Moment: Protestants, Progressives, and the Culture of Modern Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 0231126425.
Merkel, Diane on behalf of the Walton County Heritage Association (2008): Images of America DeFuniak Springs. Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 0-7385-5407-3.
External links
Chautauqua Institution
The Great Lecture Library
Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century
Colorado Chautauqua, Boulder,CO
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Chautauqua
Category:Chautauqua
Category:History of education
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