The Badge Archive

1916 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete all 11 activities:

1. Recite the preamble to the Constitution.
2. State the main requirements for a voter’s citizenship in your state, territory, or district.
3. Outline the key points of the United States naturalization laws.
4. Explain how the president and vice president are elected, as well as senators and representatives. Include their term lengths and salaries.
5. Name the officers in the President’s Cabinet and their roles.
6. State the number of Supreme Court Justices, how they are appointed, and their term lengths.
7. Describe how the Governor, lieutenant governor, senators, and representatives are elected in your state, and their term lengths. Explain how the government of the District of Columbia operates and how its offices are filled.
8. Name the main officers in your town or city, how they are elected, and their term lengths.
9. List the city departments, such as fire, police, health, charities, and education, and explain their duties.
10. Identify and locate public buildings and points of interest in your town or city.
11. Tell the history and purpose of the Declaration of Independence.

1920 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete all 13 activities:

1. Research who is responsible for running the government of the United States.
2. Learn how laws are enforced.
3. Brainstorm ways you can help improve your government, like keeping public spaces clean or spreading awareness about voting.
4. Write a short paragraph of what you think the government is and how it works.
5. Find out the voting requirements in your state.
6. Research who qualifies as a U.S. citizen, how someone can become a citizen, and what benefits come with citizenship.
7. Learn about how laws are made in your state.
8. Discuss or write about how you might participate in making laws when you are older (e.g., voting, attending public meetings).
9. Find out what the President of the United States and their Cabinet do.
10. Make a list of five things your family depends on, like clean water or schools, and learn how the government supports these services.
11. Learn what a secret ballot is and why it’s important.
12. Compare registering to vote with joining a political party.
13. Investigate whether joining a political party requires you to vote for that party’s candidates.

1934 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete all 8 activities:

1. Review Second Class First Aid. Pass the First Aid badge requirements for Part II, items 1, 4, and 6.
2. Learn the traffic regulations in your community.
3. Identify who to call for help in case of a serious illness or accident at home or on the street, or in case of a fire. Describe what you would do if you found a lost child or if you were lost without money in a city or town.
4. Give clear directions on how to reach important public buildings and places of interest within a mile radius of your home or troop meeting place, like libraries, parks, playgrounds, or schools. Draw or mark these locations on a map, or visit and report on one that interests you.
5. Outline the health services offered at your school and how you’ve used them. Explain how they are supported, and list other health services like clinics, hospitals, or health centers. Discuss how your parents contribute to the cost of public school buildings, their care, and teacher salaries.
6. Explain how garbage and waste are disposed of in your community, and suggest ways to keep public spaces clean. Share ideas for keeping parks, countryside, and your home surroundings clean and attractive.
7. Describe efforts in your community to protect trees, birds, and animals, and explain why these efforts are important.
8. Research which wildflowers in your area should not be picked. Draw or collect pictures of them, and find out how to cooperate with groups working to beautify the area through planting trees and gardens.

_{^{* – These summaries are based off the GSUSA activity choices. See original books for GSUSA official requirements.}}

1938 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete 10 activities of your choice:

1. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance and demonstrate how to display and care for the U.S. flag. Make colored pictures of flags from countries your ancestors came from. OR Help plan or participate in a patriotic ceremony for a national holiday.
2. Tell the story or act out the history of four patriotic songs, including “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and explain proper etiquette for these songs. OR Collect pictures of symbols like Uncle Sam, the Great Seal, the White House, the Statue of Liberty, and the American Eagle. Learn their meanings and any interesting stories about them.
3. Plan a costume party with the theme “Great American Citizens,” where each guest represents an outstanding American. Include themed entertainment, decorations, and refreshments.
4. Choose an American patriot you admire, like Jane Addams or George Washington. Write or tell their story, or dramatize scenes from American history featuring citizen-patriots.
5. Find out how American-born citizens are registered, or learn the steps for a foreigner to become a naturalized citizen. Talk to a naturalized citizen about their experiences, or visit a federal court to see the naturalization process.
6. Learn about an immigrant who became a U.S. citizen and made significant contributions, or find a naturalized citizen in your community who provided an unusual service. Explore why the U.S. is called the “melting pot.”
7. Discover what types of taxes citizens pay in your community, which properties are tax-exempt, and the meaning of “taxes we don’t see.”
8. Find out what services are funded by taxes, like schools, highways, and libraries, and how much it costs to keep public schools open for a year.
9. Calculate how much property tax or income tax a person might pay based on specific examples, and explore how tax money adds up in your community. OR Learn the requirements you must meet to vote in local and national elections.
10. Ask a civic leader or organization to explain how elections are conducted, including voting procedures, ballot marking, and precautions against unfair voting. Learn what it costs to hold an election, or find out the requirements to vote.
11. Ask an older person in your community to tell you about the woman suffrage movement and how women earned the right to vote. Learn what amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for women’s voting rights and what it says.
12. Find out how one of your neighbors could get their name on the ballot. OR Follow news about a candidate running in the next election. Explain how the news or talks might help or confuse voters.
13. Act out ways your troop can help the government save tax money by protecting public property, like avoiding marking library books, using paper towels wisely, or cleaning up after a picnic.
14. Spend three hours on community service that improves public property, such as cleaning up vacant lots, mending library books, planting trees, or building outdoor fireplaces at picnic grounds.
15. Discover how Americans earned freedom of speech and press. Find a current news example with help from an adult. Can it be compared to how freedom of press and speech work in other countries?
16. Act out examples showing when people were careless or biased in forming opinions, such as believing rumors or ignoring facts. Discuss with your troop the importance of reasoning and evidence.
17. Give examples of how public opinion is shaped by things like radio, newspapers, movies, magazines, sermons, clubs, or political parties in your community.
18. Find out the public opinion (from your peers) at your school on topics like sports, cheating, behavior in study halls, or student government. OR Learn how community or national leaders measure public opinion through methods like straw votes or surveys.
19. Write a short story explaining why “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” is such an important quote in our democratic nation and how it connects to the Junior Citizen badge activities.

1953 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete 10 activities of your choice:

1. Role-play right and wrong ways to make newcomers feel welcome in your town.
2. Ask people who have moved to your town what helped newcomers feel at home. Take action on their suggestions.
3. Create a directory of community groups that work to improve your town with help from parents or teachers.
4. Find out how someone not born in the U.S. can become an American citizen.
5. Discuss with your family and troop how the Bill of Rights impacts your daily life.
6. List people in your town known as “good citizens” and explain why, then research historical “good citizens” from your community and what they achieved.
7. Learn how elections work by using examples from your troop, clubs, or public officials.
8. Plan ways to help adults vote and carry out your plan for the next election.
9. Draw a simple map of your town that would be helpful for newcomers.
10. Research the history of town meetings, the secret ballot, and elected leaders.
11. Play a game or share a story to show how gossip can distort facts, then discuss good rules for making decisions with your troop.
12. Study TV and radio ads to see how they persuade you to buy products, grouping them by methods like fear, quality claims, or promises.
13. Care for and display the flag properly. Plan a ceremony or serve in the color guard for your school or another event.

_{^{* – These summaries are based off the GSUSA activity choices. See original books for GSUSA official requirements.}}

1963 – Our Summary* of requirements:

Complete all 7 activities:

1. Learn how to use and care for the U.S. flag. Plan and carry out a flag ceremony.
2. Find out how someone becomes a U.S. citizen and how citizenship can be lost. Share what you learn with your troop.
3. Act out scenarios showing how the Girl Scout Laws help you be a responsible citizen.
4. Research what taxes pay for in your town, like schools or parks. Discuss your responsibilities when using these resources.
5. Discover local government agencies that serve your community. Visit one OR research three local laws (like bike safety or pet ownership) and how they benefit everyone.
6. Think about freedoms your family has used recently. Discuss how you’ve used freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly.
7. Brainstorm ways your troop can encourage adults to vote.

_{^{* – These summaries are based off the GSUSA activity choices. See original books for GSUSA official requirements.}}