Figure 1.--American Boy Scouts mostly wore long pants in the 1950s. They usually wore the short pants uniform at camps and jamborees. This photograph was taken in 1953. The Scouts are on their way to the National Jamboree in Irvine Ranch, California. Note the circular Jamboree patch. This is a little confusing because it does not seem to be the 1953 National Jamboree patch which depicted a Conestoga wagon.

The Boy Scouts reached their peak of poularity in the 1950s. It was an era of rising prosperity and the movement into the suburbs. It was an era in whivj youth activitoes were grwing, but still imited. Scouting did not have a lot of competitin. One exception was Little League, but many boys did both. Many boys wanted to participate. Both schools and churches as well as other groups sponsored units. Wearing uniforms was still popular with biy, esprciallay Cub age boys. BSA membership grew dramatically 2.8 million (1950) to 5.2 million boy (1860). The 40th anniversary celebrated the theme of 'Strengthen the Arm of Liberty'. As part of the theme, the BSA distributed over 200 replicas of the Statue of Liberty. The 8-foot-4-inch (2.54 m) copper statues were known as the "Little Sisters of Liberty". A commemorative BSA stamp was issued by the Post Office (1950). The Pinewood Derby was organized experimetally for Cubs (1953) and was so sucessful that it was made a permanent part of the official program (1955). The Webelos den program was initiatd for 10-year olds (1954). The BS introduced a Webelos den emblem which was used on the Webelos den flag. It replacedg the den number on the uniform. The National Council moved their offices from New York City to the southwest corner of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 130 in North Brunswick, New Jersey (1954). Scouts and Scouters who participated in an approved international activity or event were allowed to wear the World Crest as a permanent award (1956). Local councils were allowed to present the crest (1957). The BS approved the Bobcat pin for the uniform (1959). The BSA adopted the Boy Scout Handbook's dimensions increased to their present size and it was printed in full color for the first time (1959). Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts lowered their age limits, and Exploring was extensively modified to include vocational exploration. The BSA began the tradition of National Janorees every 4 year. The Third Nationals Jamoree was held in Santa Ana/Irvine California (1953). The Fourth National Jamboree was held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (1957). \

Popularity

The Boy Scouts reached their peak of poularity in the 1950s. It was an era of rising prosperity and the movement into the suburbs. It was an era in which youth activities were growing, but still lmited. Scouting did not have a lot of competition. One exception was Little League, but many boys did both. Many boys wanted to participate. Both schools and churches as well as other groups sponsored units. Wearing uniforms was still popular with boys, especially Cub-age boys. BSA membership grew dramatically 2.8 million (1950) to 5.2 million boy (1860).

Anniversary

The 40th anniversary celebrated the theme of 'Strengthen the Arm of Liberty'. As part of the theme, the BSA distributed over 200 replicas of the Statue of Liberty. The 8-foot-4-inch (2.54 m) copper statues were known as the "Little Sisters of Liberty". A commemorative BSA stamp was issued by the Post Office (1950).

Activities

The Pinewood Derby was organized experimetally for Cubs (1953) and was so sucessful that it was made a permanent part of the official program (1955).

Levels

The Webelos den program was initiatd for 10-year olds (1954). The BS introduced a Webelos den emblem which was used on the Webelos den flag. It replacedg the den number on the uniform.

BSA

The National Council moved their offices from New York City to the southwest corner of U.S. Route 1 and U.S. Route 130 in North Brunswick, New Jersey (1954). Scouts and Scouters who participated in an approved international activity or event were allowed to wear the World Crest as a permanent award (1956). Local councils were allowed to present the crest (1957). The BS approved the Bobcat pin for the uniform (1959). The BSA adopted the Boy Scout Handbook's dimensions increased to their present size and it was printed in full color for the first time (1959). Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts lowered their age limits, and Exploring was extensively modified to include vocational exploration.

Parades

There are certain days that Americans love to stage parades. This generally begins with St. Partivks Day in big cities with Irish populstions. By March the worst of the winter is usually over. May Day is an imprtant holiday, but here the celebration is usually at schools or in parks. There are parades on Memorial Day (last Monday in May). This used to be Decoration Day. Perhaps the bigest day for parades is Independence Day (July 4) at the height of summer. Columbus Day also involved parades in big cities withn Italian populations. Scouts, Cubs, and other youth groups by the 1910s were important participants in these parades. And this continued for sevral decades. The Boys and girls wear their full unifirms and proudly wave the American fkag and Scout banners. The Scout contingents were especially important in small town parades. Unlike big cities, it is more difficult putting together a parade than in big cities. There is generally only one marching band available, the local high school band. So Scout and other youth group units are an imprtant contingent. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were by far the most important youth groups for these parades. Of course the Boy Scouts include the Cubs and the Girl Scouts include the Brownies in these parade contingents. This began to decline in the 1970s as Scouting began to decline in importance.

Summer Camp

An important part of Scouting was summer camp. Outdoor activities are especially important in Scouting. Cubing included a lot of games and indoor activities. For the older boys there was an interest for greater challenges and this inevitably involved outdoor activities. Summer camp was especially important in the 1950s because Scouting was so popular in America and more boys were involved than ever before. In addition, the Scouting movement advanced to the point that that facilities at existing camps had been improved and expanded substantially and more camps were opened. In addition the booming post-War economy meant that more families could afford to send their boys to the local Scout camps. The cost was usually relatively modest. Scouting was largely a middle-class movement. Even before World War II, the high wages compared to Europe that many working-class Americans had begun to make the transition to the middle-class, especially skilled workers. After World War II with rising wages, even unskilled workers could make this transition. The genius of mass production and the assembly line is that unskilled workers could be employed, all they needed to do was to master one small step in the assembly line.This transition was seen in the merger of he AFL and CIO (1955). Workers participated in the very middle-class move to the suburbs. All of which meant more boys participating in Scouting and enjoying a Scout summer camp experience.

Jamborees

The first National Jamboree was held in Washington, D.C. (1937). It was planned for 1935, but delayedbecause of a polilo outbreak. Polio was a diease that targeted children. The idea was to hold periodic jamborees, but World War II raised its ugly head. The BSA began the tradition of National Janorees every 4 year. While World War II ebded in 1945, the Second National Jamboree was not held until 1950 in Irvine Ranch, California. We have not been able to find much information about. The Third National Jamoree was held in Santa Ana/Irvine California (1953). The Fourth National Jamboree was held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (1957).

Uniforms

American boys clothing changed significantly during the 1940s. The 1950 were mostly a continuation of the trends that emerged after World War II (1941-45). Knickers had disappeared. Most boys wanted to wear long pants, particularly jeans. Some mothers insisted on short pants for dressup, but it was becoming less and less common. Some younger boys wore shorts for play during the summer, but most boys played and especially went to school in long pants. The BSA made major uniform changes in the 1940s. And thee carred over into thw 1950s. This carried over into Scouting and most American Scouts and especially Cubs wore the long pants uniform. This was not universal, however, and there were some troops that did wear the short pants uniform.