Ideas and Movements
Chautauqua Movement

The Chautauqua Movement sought to bring learning, culture and, later, entertainment to the small towns and villages of America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Pre-Civil War roots of the effort existed in the lyceum movement, which paid prominent personalities handsomely to give speeches on religious, political and scientific topics to gatherings in the hinterlands. This was an approach to adult education that underscored the values of an era in which common people were expected to stay close to job and family. Enlightenment, if any, had to be taken to them. Travel and vacations were the preserves of the wealthy.

Social changes occurring in post-war America included the emerging democratization of education. During the 1870s, the Methodist Episcopal Church held summer training sessions for its Sunday school teachers and other church workers. At the annual assembly of 1874, held at Lake Chautauqua in western New York State, it was decided to broaden the curriculum's frankly religious nature to include the arts, humanities and sciences. Eight-week sessions were staged each summer and were later opened to the general public. Headliners such as Mark Twain and William Jennings Bryan attracted huge throngs, and all of the presidents from Grant through McKinley made appearances.

In 1878, William Rainey Harper, a prominent educator of the day, developed a home study program for those who could not attend the summer sessions. Local reading groups formed in communities throughout the nation to discuss the leading issues of the day. Later, a formal correspondence school was established, which provided certification for those who completed the rigorous studies and passed examinations. At its zenith, the Chautauqua officials also operated a large publishing house and a theological school.

As the years passed, more emphasis was placed on singing groups, oompah bands, theatrical presentations and magic lantern shows. The advent of the railroads and their cheap fares had made it possible for working-class families to attend the sessions. The Chautauqua gatherings became a blend of a county fair and revival meeting.

By the turn of the century, many communities had formed their own “chautauquas,” unrelated to the New York institution, that paid lecturers and performers to participate in their local events.

Following World War I, the availability of automobiles, radio programming and motion pictures eroded the Chautauqua Movement's appeal. Independent local activities died out, but the national organization has continued on a reduced scale to the present day.

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