A century before feminism permeated American life, a movement swept across the USA whose terms were set at Harvard University in the decades following the American Civil War. Its ideal of manhood was embodied in Theodore Roosevelt and other graduates, inspiring men to assume leadership positions. Drawing strength from the rise of intercollegiate athletics, from curricular reforms such as the elective system, and from careful monitoring of women who aspired to education, it informed their efforts to define and represent the Westerner abroad. This study aims to throw light on a distinctive male culture, the legacy of which has reverberated powerfully in education, politics and society throughout the 20th century.