Governing Bodies: American Politics and the Shaping of the Modern Physique

Rachel Louise Moran

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press 2018

Governing Bodies

American Politics and the Shaping of the Modern Physique

Rachel Louise Moran

In the series Politics and Culture in Modern America

https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812295061

Overview
Contents

About this book

Weaving together histories of the body, public policy, and social welfare, Rachel Louise Moran analyzes a series of discrete episodes over the course of the twentieth century to chronicle the federal government's efforts to shape the physique of its citizenry.

Author / Editor information

Rachel Louise Moran teaches history at the University of North Texas.

Reviews

"Deeply researched and engagingly written, Governing Bodies offers a nuanced and provocative account of the role of the U.S. government in managing the physical fitness of its citizens. Rachel Louise Moran provides a new perspective on American political history and state development."—Marisa Chappell, Oregon State University

"Governing Bodies offers an authoritative and compelling account of the century-long effort to ensure that America's citizenry was physically fit. Tracing the story from the evolution of the calorimeter to warnings that Americans were a 'Nation of Weaklings' during the Cold War to WIC in the 1970s, Moran pays careful attention to the intersection of state, society, and political culture that framed this set of public policies. For much of the twentieth century, Americans were enticed, rather than coerced, into shaping up."—Brian Balogh, University of Virginia

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction. Weight of the Nation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Chapter 1. The Advisory State World War I Made: Scientific Nutrition and Scientific Mothering Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	10
Chapter 2. Boys into Men: Depression-Era Physique in the Civilian Conservation Corps Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	38
Chapter 3. Men into Soldiers: World War II and the Conscripted Body Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	64
Chapter 4. Selling Postwar Fitness: Advertising, Education, and the President’s Council Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	84
Chapter 5. Wasted Bodies: Emaciation and the War on Poverty Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	112
Chapter 6. Poor Choices: Weight, Welfare, and WIC in the 1970s Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	132
Conclusion. Governing American Bodies Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	155
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	207
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215

Language: English
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Audience: College/higher education;
Pages
- Main content: 224
Illustrations
- Other: 15 illus.
Keywords: American History; Public Policy; American Studies; Political Science

eBook

Published: April 17, 2018
ISBN: 9780812295061