American Heritage
Please note this Blog is meant to help my own students to be able to earn this Merit Badge. This Blog is ran and managed by the scouts themselves plus all members of our family. We are currently studying the same subjects in our homeschool. The content in this blog is not attended to replace BSA materials but rather to organize all our materials into one place. We attend as a family to add photos, videos, youtube videos, and any other content we can find that relates to this subject below! Hope this can help your scout! Our scouts are new to scouting. Have any connect to share or suggested changes?
American Heritage merit badge requirements |  |
| 1)Read the Declaration of Independence. Pay close attention to the section that begins with "We hold these truths to be self-evident" and ends with "to provide new Guards for future security." Rewrite that section in your own words, making it as easy to understand as possible. Then share your writing with your merit badge counselor and discuss the importance of the Declaration of Independence. 2) Do TWO of the following: a. Select two individuals from American history, one a political leader (a president, senator, etc.) and the other a private citizen (a writer, religious leader, etc.). Find out about each person's accomplishments and compare the contributions each has made to America's heritage. b. With your counselor's approval, choose an organization that has promoted some type of positive change in American society. Find out why the organization believed this change was necessary and how it helped to accomplish the change. Discuss how this organization is related to events or situations from America's past. c. With your counselor's approval, interview two veterans of the U.S. military. Find out what their experiences were like. Ask the veterans what they believe they accomplished. d. With your counselor's approval, interview three people in your community of different ages and occupations. Ask these people what America means to them, what they think is special about this country, and what American traditions they feel are important to preserve. 3) Do the following: a. Select a topic that is currently in the news. Describe to your counselor what is happening. Explain how today's events are related to or affected by the events and values of America's past. b. For each of the following, describe its adoption, tell about any changes since its adoption, and explain how each one continues to influence Americans today: the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the seal, the motto, and the national anthem. c. Research your family's history. Find out how various events and situations in American history affected your family. If your family immigrated to America, tell the reasons why. Share what you find with your counselor. 4) Do TWO of the following: a. Explain what is meant by the National Register of Historic Places. Describe how a property becomes eligible for listing. Make a map of your local area, marking the points of historical interest. Tell about any National Register properties in your area. Share the map with your counselor, and describe the historical points you have indicated. b. Research an event of historical importance that took place in or near your area. If possible, visit the place. Tell your counselor about the event and how it affected local history. Describe how the area looked then and what it now looks like. c. Find out when, why, and how your town or neighborhood started, and what ethnic, national, or racial groups played a part. Find out how the area has changed over the past 50 years and try to explain why. d. Take an active part in a program about an event or person in American history. Report to your counselor about the program, the part you took, and the subject. e. Visit a historic trail or walk in your area. After your visit, share with your counselor what you have learned. Discuss the importance of this location and explain why you think it might qualify for National Register listing. 5) Do ONE of the following: a. Watch two motion pictures (with the approval and permission of your counselor and parent) that are set in some period of American history. Describe to your counselor how accurate each film is with regard to the historical events depicted and also with regard to the way the characters are portrayed. b. Read a biography (with your counselor's approval) of someone who has made a contribution to America's heritage. Tell some things you admire about this individual and some things you do not admire. Explain why you think this person has made a positive or a negative contribution to America's heritage. c. Listen to recordings of popular songs from various periods of American history. Share five of these songs with your counselor, and describe how each song reflects the way people felt about the period in which it was popular. If a recording is not available, have a copy of the lyrics available. 6) Discuss with your counselor the career opportunities in American heritage. Pick one that interests you and explain how to prepare for this career. Discuss what education and training are required for this career.
Suggested Books
Books Bjornlund, Lydia. The U.S. Constitution: Blueprint for Democracy. Lucent Books Inc., 1999. Carnes, Mark, ed. Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies. Holt and Company, 1995. Finlayson, Reggie, ed. We Shall Overcome: The History of the American Civil Rights Movement. Lerner Publishing Group, 2002. Freedman, Russell. Give Me Liberty! The Story of the Declaration of Independence. Holiday House, 2002. Hoose, Phillip M. We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2001. Jaffe, Steven H. Who Were the Founding Fathers? Two Hundred Years of Reinventing American History. Henry Holt and Co., 1996. Kassinger, Ruth. U.S. Census: A Mirror of America. Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 2000. McIntire, Suzanne, ed. American Heritage Book of Great American Speeches for Young People. Wiley, 2001. Panchyk, Richard. Keys to American History: Understanding Our Most Important Historic Documents. Chicago Review Press, 2009. Time Magazine editors. Time America: An Illustrated History. Time, 2007. Torricelli, Robert, and Andrew Carroll, eds. In Our Own Words: Extraordinary Speeches of the American Century. Kodansha International, 1999. Wilson, Richard Guy, ed. A Guide to Popular U.S. Landmarks as Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Franklin Watts Inc., 2003. Zeinert, Karen. Free Speech: From Newspapers to Music Lyrics. Enslow Publishers, 1995.
Suggested Websites:
American History and Civil War Times Website: www.historynet.com Early American Life Telephone: 440-543-8566 Website: http://www.ealonline.com Preservation Telephone: 202-588-6388 Website: http://www.nationaltrust.org/ magazine Organizations and Websites Academy of Achievement Website: http://www.achievement.org America Singing: 19th Century Song Sheets Website: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amsshtml/amsshome.html America’s Library Website: http://www.americaslibrary.gov The American Family Immigration History Center Telephone: 212-561-4588 Website: http://www.ellisisland.org American Memory Website: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html American Veterans (AMVETS) Toll-free telephone: 877-726-8387 Website: http://www.amvets.org Family Search Internet Genealogy Service Website: https://www.familysearch.org Genealogy.com Website: http://www.genealogy.com HistoryNet.com Telephone: 703-771-9400 Website: http://www.historynet.com The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection Johns Hopkins University Website: http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu Library of Congress Telephone: 202-707-5000 Website: http://www.loc.gov National Constitution Center Telephone: 215-409-6600 Website: http://constitutioncenter.org National Park Service Telephone: 202-208-3818 Website: http://www.nps.gov National Register of Historic Places Telephone: 202-354-2211 Website: http://www.nps.gov/nr/ Smithsonian Institution Telephone: 202-633-1000 Website: http://www.si.edu U.S. Census Bureau Telephone: 301-763-4636 Website: http://www.census.gov U.S. Government Printing Office Telephone: 202-512-0000 Website: http://www.gpoaccess.gov U.S. History.org Website: http://www.ushistory.org/us/ The White House Telephone: 202-456-1414 Website: http://www.whitehouse.gov Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Website: http://www.vfw.org What we have learned so far and must share: | |
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