W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 5-2011 Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th century Michael Young College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Young, Michael, "Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th century" (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 367. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/367 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th Century A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Arts History from The College of William and Mary by Michael Anthony Young Accepted for ___________________________________ (Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors) ________________________________________ Type in the name, Director ________________________________________ Type in the name ________________________________________ Type in the name Williamsburg, VA April 28, 2011 Introduction: Baseball’s class appeal and initial expansion Outlined in this section will be the upper class origins of the game and baseball‟s diffusion into the lower class. Additionally, this section will address the nationwide expansion of the game through leisure time, cultural change, and the Civil War. George B. Kirsch and Harold Seymour have done significant work on the initial expansion of the game, and their research will be included in this section. This background is essential to fully understand the later impact that European immigrants and members of the lower class had on the early game.