American Girlhood in the Early Twentieth Century: The Ideology of Girl Scout Literature, 1913-1930

Abstract

Juliette Gordon Low, a wealthy widow from Savannah, Georgia, founded the Girl Scouts of America on March 12, 1912. This organization, the first of its kind in the United States, promoted independence, patriotism, and self-sufficiency among young girls. This article's focus on the Girl Scout handbooks and the additional periodical literature produced by the organization provides important clues as to the kind of advice Low felt necessary to impart to these girls and the types of activities the organization promoted. Girl Scout handbooks and magazines provide insight into the degree to which the Girl Scout organization (1) promoted feminist ideology to young girls in the early 1900s, (2) expected a woman's sphere to be restricted to the realm of children, religion, and the home, and (3) encouraged women to display independence either surreptitiously or overtly. The Girl Scout handbooks lend insight into the evolving definition of gender roles through the instruction they imparted to young girls. The intended goals of the Girl Scouts, through a study of the Girl Scout literature, will help elucidate the expectations grown women, like Juliette Low, maintained for their youthful counterparts.