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Harris, Cynthia L.

History

2012

MA

This thesis examines the history of the high school prom tradition. Proms emerged in the early twentieth century as a component of social education, a result of new theories of adolescent development and a rapidly expanding public school system. Viewing individual development as a fragile process, educators increasingly recognized their role in guiding the attitudes and behavior of young people. In an effort to solve the growing problem of juvenile delinquency and ensure the future stability of American society, schools began offering classes and extracurricular activities designed to promote social values. At the prom, students put these lessons into practice, demonstrating their maturity, normality, and commitment to the dominant social ideals. The emphasis on gendered presentation and heterosexual romance, thoroughly engrained in the prom tradition, reinforced the norms and expectations of social education and of middle class society more broadly.
This thesis looks at the historical origins of the high school prom, beginning with older rituals that influenced its development and continuing with the twentieth century conditions that allowed it to become a national phenomenon, crossing geographic, economic, and racial divides. Essays by school teachers and administrators illustrate the prom's function as a means of social training, preparing young people for adult roles and responsibilities. These were complemented by newspaper and magazine accounts, fictional stories, advice columns, and etiquette manuals, all of which reinforced traditional ideals ofgender and sexuality in their representations ofthe prom. A source of great excitement, as well as frequent conflict and anxiety, the prom has remained remarkably consistent through decades of deep social change. The tradition has maintained the same central elements for nearly a hundred years, becoming an iconic part of American culture.