The Boy Scouts of America is a foundation that has been established in the United States for over a century. With its creation in 1910, it has blossomed into a global organization, giving children all over the world an opportunity to serve their communities.
The Scout slogan, “Do A Good Turn Daily,” encourages growing scouts to serve the people around them. The BSA is more than just a tight-knit community, and it has a long and rich history that makes it what it is today.
William Boyce was the original founder of the BSA, which was called “Scouting America” when it was first established. The creation story is somewhat of a myth. Boyce got lost one day in London, and then, out of nowhere, an unknown scout emerged to help and redirect him.
Boyce had already taken a liking to the British scouting organization, and therefore he took the inspiration to set up a scouting foundation in the United States. It was initially created for young boys aged 11 to 15, but eventually as the foundation grew new divisions were added for both younger and older scouts.
In 1935, a “Senior Scout” division was introduced to the BSA. This division included programs intended for boy scouts who were 15 and older. Such programs would include the Sea scouts, Air scouts, Explorer scouts and Rover scouts.
The BSA had its first ever Scouting National Jamboree declared by President Roosevelt in 1937. There were over 27,000 scouts in attendance. The event had parades and celebrations. There were also demonstrations of certain scout skills that were shown off. Skills included things like fire building and knot tying.
During World War II, the BSA showed support for the military by helping out with the disaster at Pearl Harbor and helping to feed those who were in need. When helping out with Pearl Harbor victims, scouts with first aid knowledge were able to help those who were injured. Many scouts over the age of 15 were also given the role of communications, meaning they would relay messages to the Pearl Harbor base by bicycle, by foot or by phone if the lines still worked.
The BSA has always had close ties with the military. One of the most apparent similarities is in the name itself. When scouting began in England, the very first scouts were young boys who helped Lord Robert Baden-Powell with his military operations.
Old Scout uniforms are very closely tied to the appearance of U.S. military uniforms, although today that statement does not hold much truth. However, older uniforms often were khaki-colored and had military-style brimmed hats.
Another close similarity between the two was the ranking system that Scouting followed, which was familiar to that of military ranking, although not exactly the same.
In 1949, the BSA merged most of the Senior scout divisions, such as the Rover scouts, and formed them into one program named the Explorer scouts. The programs exempt from this merge were the Sea scouts and Air scouts, who were then renamed into Sea explorers and Air explorers.
In 1969, women were finally permitted into the BSA’s programs. Women aged 14-20 years old were able to join Explorer programs, like the Sea explorers. Yet another striking accomplishment for the BSA in 1969 is when Eagle scout Neil Armstrong landed on the moon.
In 1971, women were also permitted full membership into the BSA. Then in 1974, the organization became fully racially integrated, a huge leap for the organization, where integration was slow in the Southern states.
The BSA has grown in many ways. It is still an organization alive today, which has continued to progress in today. It has grown to fully incorporate girls and members of the LGBT into its organization.