Editing Scouting America (section)

==Origins==
[[File:Scouting pioneers.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ernest Thompson Seton]] ''(left)'', [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Baden-Powell]] ''(seated)'' and [[Daniel Carter Beard|Dan Beard]] ''(right)'']]
{{Further|Scouting|Scouting in the United States|History of Scouting America}}
The [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive movement]] in the United States was at its height during the early 20th century.{{r|phillips}} With the migration of families from farms to cities, there were concerns among some people that young men were no longer learning patriotism, self-reliance, and individualism. Several groups attempted to fill this void. The [[YMCA]] was an early promoter of reforms for young men with a focus on [[welfare spending|social welfare]] and programs of mental, physical, social and religious development.{{r|macleod|page1=72–82}} Others, included the [[Woodcraft Indians]] started by [[Ernest Thompson Seton]] in 1902 in [[Cos Cob, Connecticut]], and the [[Sons of Daniel Boone]] founded by [[Daniel Carter Beard]] in 1905 in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio.{{r|anderson}}, two notable independent scouting predecessors of Scouting America within the United States.

[[File:Boy Scouts, Troop 10, Columbus, Ohio, 1918.jpg|thumb|Boy Scouts, Troop 10, Columbus, Ohio, 1918]]
In 1907, [[Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell|Robert Baden-Powell]] founded the [[Scouting movement]] in England using elements of Seton's works among other influences.{{r|beardsall}} In 1909, Chicago publisher [[William D. Boyce|W. D. Boyce]] was visiting London, where he encountered a boy who came to be known as the [[Unknown Scout]].{{r|peterson2}} Boyce was lost on a foggy street when an unknown Scout came to his aid, guiding him to his destination. The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was a Boy Scout and was merely doing his daily good turn. Interested in the Boy Scouts, Boyce met with staff at the Boy Scouts Headquarters and, by some accounts, Baden-Powell. Upon his return to the US, Boyce was inspired by his experience and incorporated the ''Boy Scouts of America'' on February 8, 1910.{{r|rowan}} [[Edgar M. Robinson]] and [[Lee F. Hanmer]] became interested in the nascent BSA and convinced Boyce to turn the program over to the YMCA for development in April 1910. Robinson enlisted Seton, Beard, [[Charles Eastman]], and other prominent leaders in the early youth movements. Former president [[Theodore Roosevelt]], who had long complained of the decline in American manhood, became an ardent supporter.{{r|Handbook1911}} In January 1911, Robinson turned the movement over to [[James E. West (Scouting)|James E. West]] who became the first [[Chief Scout Executive]] and Scouting began to expand in the US{{r|macleod|page1=148}} Among other programs in the US, the Woodcraft Indians and Sons of Daniel Boone, eventually merged with the BSA.{{r|peterson1|page1=52}}

Scouting America's stated purpose at its incorporation in 1910 was "to teach [boys] patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred values."{{r|townley|page1=7}} Later, in 1937, Deputy Chief Scout Executive [[George J. Fisher]] expressed the BSA's mission: "Each generation as it comes to maturity has no more important duty than that of teaching high ideals and proper behavior to the generation which follows."{{r|bsajambo37}} The current mission statement of Scouting America is "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."{{r|ussspvision|AimsMethods}}

At its peak, Scouting America had an active membership of over 4 million youth in 1973.{{r|BloombergBusinessweek}} Today, popularity in outdoor events has waned and membership has dropped. However, Scouting America remains the largest [[scouting]] organization and one of the largest [[List of youth organizations|youth organizations]] in the United States, with about 1 million youth participants and over 400,000 adult volunteers {{As of|2024|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-05-07 |title=Boy Scouts of America to Become Scouting America |url=https://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/press-releases/boy-scouts-of-america-to-become-scouting-america/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Scouting Newsroom |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Federally chartered corporation===
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|quote = The purposes of the corporation are to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, 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, using the methods that were in common use by boy scouts on June 15, 1916.
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|source = {{USC|36|30902}}
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Scouting America holds one of the comparatively rare [[congressional charter]]s under [[Title 36 of the United States Code]].{{r|Title36}}{{r|36Corps}} On behalf of Scouting America, Paul Sleman, Colin H. Livingstone, Ernest S. Martin, and James E. West successfully lobbied Congress for a federal [[charter]], which President Woodrow Wilson signed on June 15, 1916. One of the principal reasons for seeking a congressional charter was to deal with competition from other Scout organizations including the [[American Boy Scouts|United States Boy Scouts]] and the [[Lone Scouts of America]].{{r|pett8}} The 1916 statute of incorporation established this institution among a small number of similarly chartered patriotic and national organizations,{{r|FedCharter}} such as the [[Girl Scouts of the USA|Girl Scouts]], [[Civil Air Patrol]], the [[American Legion]], the [[Red Cross]], [[Little League Baseball]], and the [[United States National Academy of Sciences|National Academy of Sciences]]. The federal incorporation was originally construed primarily as an honor; however, it does grant the chartered organization some special privileges and rights, including freedom from antitrust and monopoly regulation and complete control over the organization's symbols and insignia, {{r|bsatitle36}} though it neither implies nor accords Congress any special control over Scouting America, which remains free to function independently.{{r|CongressionalCharter}}