What Impact Did Sailing Have On American Society

After the Civil War, American ideals and views shifted greatly as the country moved into an industrial era; big business leaders came out on top and the rest of society worked day in and day out with not even a fraction of such success. This structure of society was reflected in the sport of sailing. At the beginning of the 1870s, sailing was changing from a classic leisure activity to a more competitive sport as it moved from Europe to America. The same business tycoons who took control of the markets took control of the sailing world as yachting became one of the most expensive activities, far out of reach of the lower and even middle classes. Part of the appeal of this sport for the business leaders was the inability for the average person to get involved; every aspect was expensive. The inaccessibility associated a sense of prestige with the sport, so these business moguls immediately got involved, soon surrounding the activity with the image of high-class society. Sailing also demonstrated the new American ideal of international competition. The country had mainly remained isolationist prior to the 1900s, but this activity came as one of the first international connections; in the 1870s, the US challenged Britain to a race, which
Sailing had always been a spectator sport for women, so when a woman attempted to become a member of the New York Yacht Club, it created a large debate over what to do. Lucy Carnegie challenged the male supremacy, which held strong in the sport, and petitioned to be the first female member of the club. After forming a committee to review her petition, in 1894 she was admitted as a “Flag Officer”, meaning she could only fly the flag of the club and use the mail stations which it was associated with (Yarnal). 50 years later, women were admitted to NYYC as full members, fulfilling the legacy of women in the sport which Lucy strove to