The history of scouting’s beginnings and how scouting came to America is a fascinating subject. We first must understand the basics of youth organizations at the turn of the 20th century. In 1844, George Williams founded the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) in England. The youth of the age were struggling to establish their generation. George Williams organization was to help develop a healthy body, mind, and spirit. In 1900, Baden-Powell wrote, “Aids to Scouting for NCOs & Men.” This book was quickly picked up by youth groups all over England. In the United States, Ernest Seton in 1902 founded Woodcraft Indians. The book “The Birch-Bark Rolls of the Woodcraft Indians” was the foundation of their organization. In 1905, Daniel Beard founded Sons of Daniel Boone. Baden-Powell or ‘BP’ (as he preferred) conducted the Brown Sea Island camp experiment in 1907. B-P authored “Scouting for Boys” that same year. By 1908, the first Scout Troops in Britain were well established.
At around that time, William D. Boyce, an American newspaperman, was lost in the fog of London when a Scout offered to help. This act of kindness (a good turn) inspired him to research Scouting and bring it back to America. On February 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was incorporated. Boyce, Seton, Beard, and Charles Eastman (YMCA – Dakota Native American) established the foundation. Boyce developed the organization with Edgar Robinson (YMCA) and Lee Hanmer (Later Camp Fire Girls, 1912). In 1911, James West became the first Chief Scout Executive. The United States Congress passed a Congressional Charter in 1916 officially establishing The Boy Scouts of America (BSA).
The mission statement then and now is basically the same:
“To prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.”
🌎 About the Boy Scouts of America: https://www.scouting.org/about/
🌎 The Man Who Got Lost in the Fog: https://scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0110/d-wwas.html
🌐 Wikipedia – History of the Boy Scouts of America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Boy_Scouts_of_America
🌎 Boy Scouts Movement Begins: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/boy-scouts-movement-begins
🌎 BSA Description and History: http://www.usscouts.org/aboutbsa/bsahistory.asp
🌎 BSA Mission & Vision: https://www.scouting.org/legal/mission/