History of the Girl Scouts

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Juliette Gordon Low The Founder
First Scouts "Girl Guides"
Suffragettes Suffragettes

Juliette Gordon Low

Low founded the first “girl guides” troop at a time where her career was dying, being 51 years-old and nearly deaf. Her intention was to create a safe space for girls to socialize, share, and collaborate together while embracing their individual strength. Juliette, known as “Daisy” by her family and close friends, was born and raised in Savannah Georgia. As a child, she was treated as a southern debutante girl, which was perhaps what drove her to realize that she did not want a woman’s life to have to follow the predictable path of a pampered wife and mother. This, combined with her divorce to Englishman William Mackay Low, set her on the path to promote women’s individuality and frown upon their dependence on men. Following the example of the boy scouts in England, she started three troops for girls in England and continued her work in America.

JGL Doodle
A satirical cartoon drawn by Low: Source

The First Girl Scouts

The first girl scout troop, originally called the “girl guides” was founded in Low’s hometown, Savannah, Georgia. Led by Mary Rafter, they focused on outdoor skills like hiking and swimming. Rafter fostered an environment where the girls felt like they could do anything they wanted, whether it be telling time by the stars or learning a foreign language. All kinds of girls were welcome, regardless of class, religion, status, or race, which was exceptionally progressive in the early 20th century. Low even put an emphasis on recruiting immigrant girls to help them learn English. The troop was equally focused on the learning as it was on the fun- the goal was to make girls become better women all around.

The responses to seeing girls assume traditionally “male” hobbies such as sports and outdoor activities were not always positive. Some complained about girls becoming too athletic and mannish, while others took issue with the uniforms that came across as militaristic. Low and Rafter did not let this stunt their work, however, and to avoid offending the eyes of the passerby they strung up canvas curtains around the basketball courts where they practiced.

badges
Military badges of the 20th century that were similar to those of the girl scouts: Source

The Women's Suffrage Movement

The Girls Scouts of America were founded in the midst of the women’s suffrage movement of the 1920s, so it was natural that they became activists for women on a larger scope. Mary Rafter, the first troop leader, was very active in the movement and spoke freely about her opinions while Juliette Gordon Low was less public about her opinions. Low supported the movement to an extent, and mostly indirectly with satirical cartoons, but feared that being blatant with her views would offend a certain demographic of women and therefore limit the outreach of the Girl Scouts. She never self-identified as a feminist on paper, but her actions speak louder than words. By raising the Girl Scouts to be self-starting and independent, she showed them that they could fight for themselves, but chose not to directly align the organization with the suffragettes.

Mary Rafter
A portrait of Mary Rafter Source
Eisenhower with girls
The Girl Scouts becoming politically active with Julie Nixon Eisenhower Source