Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912 and since its humble beginnings, the organization has grown to 3.2 million members—and that is just in the United States. Low created the organization to give girls the opportunity to develop into leaders and give back to their communities. Today, the Girl Scouts’ mission statement says, “Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place” ("Facts about Girl Scouting”). This is a new, modern mission statement, but it holds true to the ideals that Low imagined for all girls. By joining Girl Scouts, girls are given the support of a whole community and the tools to achieve their dreams. I joined Girl Scouts when I was six years old and continued with it until my senior year of high school. Without Girl Scouts, I know I would not be where I am today. By the time I entered high school, my troop consisted of a mere eight girls. Despite that small number, we were able to take on big projects that our leader gave us entire control over. It is because of these events—Girls Night Out, the Father Daughter Dance, and Spa Night to name a few—that I learned how to be a leader. Planning these events taught me how to organize, manage my time, and delegate tasks. Being a leader was never something I was thrilled to do, but Girl Scouts forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me skills I will use for the rest of my life. A study done in 2012 by the Girl Scout Research Institute, reported that “women who were Girl Scouts as children display significantly more positive life outcomes” than women who were not involved in scouts (Tompkins). This does not mean the women were involved for all twelve years. Even a small amount of time in th... ... middle of paper ... ...ld Award Projects." Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . "Girl Scout History." Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. . "Girl Scouts: Year of the Girl - The Day to Get Involved." Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. . Loss, Jennifer. "My Girl Scout Experience." E-mail interview. 18 Mar. 2014. Tompkins, Michelle. "New Research Affirms Lifetime Benefits of Girls' Participation in Girl Scouting." News Releases. Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Web. 25 Mar. 2014. .
Within Megan H. Mackenzie’s essay, “Let Women Fight” she points out many facts about women serving in the U.S. military. She emphasizes the three central arguments that people have brought up about women fighting in the military. The arguments she states are that women cannot meet the physical requirements necessary to fight, they simply don’t belong in combat, and that their inclusion in fighting units would disrupt those units’ cohesion and battle readiness. The 1948 Women’s Armed Services Integration Act built a permanent corps of women in all the military departments, which was a big step forward at that time. Although there were many restrictions that were put on women, an increase of women in the U.S. armed forces happened during
American women in World War II brought significant changes which although people expectation that life would go back to normal they modify their lifestyle making women free of society pressure and norms, because the war changed the traditional way to see a woman and their roles leading to a new society where women were allowed to study and work in the same way than men. Creating a legacy with the principles of today’s society.
Many women have taken up the positions of engineers, factory workers and many more jobs normally occupied by men. Many women that wanted to help with the war effort had worked, bought war bonds, donated clothing and foods and anything else needed to help and support our troops. Some women now had the opportuinty to play baseball and still help promote help for the war. However the idea of women playing baseball and acting like men was completely absurd during that day and age. That year of attendance of The AAGPBL approached one million, with the players completely defined the image of a respectable lady, the girls played ball with a new baseball of fast pitching, stolen bases and injuries, epically skin abrasions from sliding to bases in short skirts. Though the female ball players were skilled and athletic, their required uniform were one piece dresses and had to wear makeup at all times so that it was a reminder to the spectators that these were indeed women playing in the field( ). No player was allowed to drink, smoke, date, cut their hair short or be seen in public with slacks or shorts. Every player were required to join and had to endure “charm schools” where they were obligated to learn ladylike behavior. Though there were many limitations and requirements for the female players this new form of
Before we told our daughters that they could be anyone, or anything they wanted to be, we told them that they could only be what was acceptable for women to be, and that they could only do things that were considered "ladylike." It was at this time, when the nation was frenzied with the business of war, that the women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League decided that they could do and be whatever it was that they chose. These women broke free of the limitations that their family and society had set for them, and publicly broke into what had been an exclusively male sport up until that time.
My interviewee went through a lot during World War II and sharing her amazing story left me evaluating her words for a long time, rethinking and still not willing to imagine the pain. She was one of the 150,000 American woman served in the Women’s Army Corps during the war years. They were one of the first ones to serve in the ranks of the United States Army. She recalls being teased a lot about being a young woman in a uniform but was very proud of it. Women finally were given the opportunity to make a major contribution to the national affair, especially a world war. It started with a meeting in1941 of Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers and General George Marshall, who was the Army’s Chief of Staff. Rogers asked General to introduce a bill to establish an Army women’s corps, where my interviewee, Elizabeth Plancher, was really hoping to get the benefits after the World War II along with other women. ( Since after World War I women came back from war and were not entitled to protection or any medical benefits. )
Oklahoma Girls State was the experience of a lifetime. I made lifelong friends, I abandoned my comfort zone, I learned so much about our great nation, and I was pleasantly surprised by what the program did for me personally. However, the one thing I noticed was that some girls didn’t have as enjoyable of an experience as I did due to the fact that they are exceptional leaders in a way that wasn’t appreciated at Girls State as much as it could have been. I believe that finding a way to help the girls who weren’t as bold have a better experience could enhance the program by a landslide.
In a 1944 magazine article, Eleanor Roosevelt claimed that American “women are serving actively in many ways in this war [World War II], and they are doing a grand job on both the fighting front and the home front.”1 While many women did indeed join the workforce in the 1940s, the extent and effects of their involvement were as contested during that time as they are today. Eleanor Roosevelt was correct, however, in her evaluation of the women who served on the fighting front. Although small in number due to inadequate recruitment, the women who left behind their homes and loved ones in order to enlist in the newly established Women’s Auxiliary Army Corp (WAAC), and later the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), were deemed invaluable to the war effort.
In the article, “Camp Roosevelt” by Dave Nelson covers both the National Youth Administration for a relief for girls and a little bit of Civilian Conservation Corps dealing with men eighteen to
Throughout this piece of literature, there are numerous cases of gender discrimination that are apparent. While this particular prejudice may not play as large of a role as a theme as others, it is still quite critical to the overall storyline. Much of the use of this discriminatory element is obscure throughout Harper Lee's novel. Nonetheless, after careful analyzing of the plot, this component is decidedly noticeable. In the opening chapters of the novel, we are introduced to this unit through Scout's interactions with her older ...
The signing of the Women’s Armed Service Integration Act increased women’s interest in the military. Women were now able to take o...
...eginning stage of development, Low wanted them to be inclusive and independent. They started out by working on merit badges like: first aid, cooking, map reading, and knot tying. They were also known to spend a majority of their time in the outdoors participating in activities such as: swimming, camping, basketball, ect. They Introduced the idea of selling cookies as a fundraiser in 1917; This idea flew high and is still a major source of revenue for today’s girl scouts. Low decided it was enough and resigned presidency in 1920. and by 1925, the number of girl scouts grew to 90,000
Women have changed people`s ideas on war for the past two centuries of American history. “People are realizing females have contributed to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan,” stated Professor Megan Mackenzie (Harris 2). Although women are not fighting on the front lines, they help in many different ways in the military such as being nurses and women Air force Service Pilots. In his career, General Martin Dempsey has noticed an improvement in the culture, discipline, and physical prowess since women first joined the military (Harris 2). Leon E. Panetta once stated that women are willing to fight and die alongside men, proving that everyone is committed to the job (Roulo 2). In November of 2012, four female soldiers planned to sue the Department of Defense because the “brass ceiling” was stopping them from proving they could fight (Harris 1). The American Civil Liberties Union and others supported them because they thought the military was discriminating against women (Harris 1). Women have shown that they are committed to helping though their contributions to past wars and battles in American history.
Munro, Alice. Lives of Girls and Women. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. January, 1974. Book.
McKay, Nellie Y. "The Girls Who Became Women: Childhood Memories in the Autobiographies of Harriet Jacobs, Mary Church Terrell, and Anne Moody" in Tradition and the Talents of Women. Howe, Florence, ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991.
For too long women have walked in the shadows of civilization. For too long women have had no say, and no voice. Today however this is the dilemma of every girl: Choices. With a flood of options bombarding them from every which way, girls must define what is right, wrong, and sometimes what is best in the long run rather than right now. Also, they must cope with peer pressure and the media saying that it is okay to do things for the now, for simply temporary pleasure. With so many views and opinions circling around them, what hope does a girl have? In this whirlwind called life, Girl Scouts offers a place to set down roots and find Courage, Confidence and Character in order to make the world a better place.