History

A History of Boy Scouts in the U.S.A.
By Jordan P.

Presented at the Troop 223 Meeting, December 14, 2004

Scouts came to America when an American lost his way on the streets of London. His name was William D. Boyce. A boy asked him if he needed some help. The boy led him to his destination. When William offered the boy money, the boy rejected it and said "No, thanks sir. I am a Scout. I won’t take anything for helping."

William Boyce was so impressed by the boy’s kindness that he met with Lord Robert Baden Powell*.
(He was the founder of the Boy Scouts in Great Britain.) He liked what Baden Powell told him, and he
knew that boys in the United States would want to be Scouts, too.

On February 9, 1910, Mr. Boyce and a group of businessmen, educators, and political leaders founded
the Boy Scouts of America. Scouts celebrate February 8 as the Birthday of the B.S.A.

Just a boy doing a good turn daily changed America.

Robert Baden Powell was a general in the British Army who became famous for his leadership during
the Boer War in South Africa between Britain and the Boers. After the war, Baden Powell wanted to use
his fame to help boys become better men and to have fun while they were doing that.

In 1907, Baden Powell invited a group of boys to Brownsea Island off the coast of England to attend the
world’s first Boy Scout camp. Its success led him to write a book called Scouting for Boys. Thousands
of boys read the book and wanted to join the organization. Boy Scouts spread through England and
the world.

* Lord Powell’s full name is Lord Robert Stephenson Smythe Baden Powell