How Did Eisenhower Changed Physical Education

On July 16, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed Physical Education forever (Peters & Woolley, n.d.). Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States. He was born in Texas but later moved to Kansas where he was raised with his 6 brothers. Eisenhower played sports throughout high school and was said to be great at them (Freidel & Sidey, n.d.). Eisenhower loved sports from a young age, specifically baseball and football, and dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. He was once quoted while remembering a conversation with an old friend saying, “I told him that I wanted to be a real major league baseball player, a genuine professional like Honus Wagner,” (Barra, 2015). He went on to try to make his baseball playing dreams

Eisenhower was so determined to play sports that he settled for football, another love of his (Barra 2015). In a memoir, Eisenhower said “I so loved the fierce bodily contact of football that I suppose my enthusiasm made up for my somewhat lack of size,” since he was reportedly only 5’11” and 152 pounds (Barra, 2015). These are most likely contributing factors as to why Eisenhower was so passionate about keeping kids active.

While Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, he did many great things for the country. He was an outstanding general and overall a very well-liked president. In terms of Physical Education, Dwight D. Eisenhower paved the pathway to making Physical Education important in schools. On July 16, 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhower released Executive Order 10673 (Historical Impressions, 1996). In this executive order, Eisenhower mentions the youth of America and how important they are to the USA. He said, “Whereas recent studies, both private and public, have revealed disturbing deficiencies in the physical fitness of American youth; and whereas, since the youth of our Nation is one of our greatest assets, it is imperative that the physical fitness of our youth be improved and promoted to the greatest possible