Timeless Values — Duty, Honor, and the Boy Scout Tradition
(continued)
Boys in the United States were thrilled by the promise of outdoor
adventure depicted in Baden-Powell's bestseller, while leaders of youth
organizations quickly grasped its potential for training. Social reformers
had long been concerned about the effects of increased urbanization on
America's youth, worried that children would forget the rural past of
their ancestors. Reformers like Ernest Seton and Daniel Beard created
organizations such as the Woodcraft Indians and the Sons of Daniel Boone
to promote physical strength, self-reliance and resourcefulness among
American boys.
On February 8, 1910 Boyce formally established the Boy Scouts of America "to promote the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues." Although he owned the name "Boy Scouts of America," Boyce had neither scouts nor an organization. He turned to the Young Men's Christian Association, with over sixty years of experience in working with American youth, as the vehicle to get the BSA off the ground. Boyce provided financial support for the new organization and it rapidly gained momentum. By the spring of 1916, membership approached 200,000 and Congress acknowledged the movement's value by granting it a federal charter, giving formal protection to the name, insignia and terminology of the young organization.
This exhibit further examined the role Boy Scouts played during World War I and II by raising money and their efforts on the home front to support the war effort.
Please note: this exhibit is currently on loan to Arkansas State University (ASU). Contact ASU for more information.
Funding for this exhibit provided by Lt. Gov. Winthrop P. Rockefeller and the Quapaw Area Council, Arkansas Museum of Scouting.
