In an era when people worked extremely hard day in and day out, to only make a meager living, people searched for something more. Men would work endlessly long hours and seek anything to release their tension. They would long for a hobby , or as some would say, a pastime. However, here in the United states there was yet to be such a thing. Americans desired a game to call their own. They longed for an American pastime. The development of baseball affected the countries economy, aided in the unification of the nation, resulting in it becoming the symbol for America's culture and society.

As everything has a story as to where it came from, or how it came about, baseball has its own. It has been said that baseball was started in Cooperstown by a man with the name of Abner Doubleday, but that is only a story. According to Ken Burns in Baseball an Illustrated History he states, "The game's real past, like that of the country that claims it, is more colorful and more complicated. Both the nation and the national pastime are the creation of many hands from many places: the history of each is filled with low comedy and high drama,

the pure love of the game. The salaries and salary caps nowadays would be enough to make Albert Spalding and Cap Anson turn over

the puzzle, the part that makes us whole...a fit for a fractured society" (Burns and Ward 58). America is the land of opportunity where every man's ambition is to make a name for himself, think differently, and be unique while still being conformed. America's diversity in religion, theory, education, government, culture, and society is astounding. Baseball has become what America was founded upon. It provides an opportunity for those who are different to excel. It is not limited to strictly one race, or one religion, or one background. It had a vast array of culture and talent combined in one. America is no longer an extreme close minded society, but an accepting society of all. Whether that is good or bad is a different issue. Although baseball has abandoned most Biblical principles it may have had, the presence of patriotism still rings throughout the air. Prior to every game, the "Star Spangled Banner" is sung.

"It is a game that reminds us of an America that was- and, even more distantly, of a land of wonders to which we can never return. It is the game of our past, our nation's and our own; it is the game of our future, in which our sons and daughters take their places alongside us, and replace us. It reflects who we have been, who we are, and who we might, with the grace of God, become"(Burns and Ward 61).

success that baseball has experienced. Surely there would be some disappointment, but the complete feeling would be overwhelming.

As a child starts learning to walk it encounters many falls which leave bumps and bruises. When a child feels stable and secure, a fall will undoubtedly occur. Similarly, America was starting to feel secure, but then the Civil War almost became the

"Fundamentally, baseball is what America is not, but has longed or imagined itself to be. It is the missing piece of

in the game. America was known as the land of opportunity, which brought many immigrants from all over the globe to seek out there own opportunities. Most of the heroes of baseball were predominantly white, although there were some from other countries. With all the immigration, cities were divided, and became very crowded. Everyone became more or less, just a number, or statistic. However, Helyar states this, " The baseball fields brought people together, in an age when cities had been splintered by industrialization and immigration. It created heroes for the waves of new immigrants"(6). In a Nation where immigration appeared to be separating our society, baseball was bringing our culture together. Many skeptics said that the game would not last, but Walt Whitman observes the truth of the game, "I see great things in baseball. It's our game-the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us" (Dickson 468). When Whitman speaks of "our people" he is not only referring to white Americans, but to the African Americans, immigrants, and everyone else in the United States of America.

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Approximate Word count = 2638
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)