American Boy Scouts

For the modern youth organization, see Boy Scouts of America.

American Boy Scout
American Boy Scout manual c. 1911
American Boy Scouts Emblem
HeadquartersNew York City
CountryUnited States
FoundedJune 1910
Defunct1920s
FounderWilliam Randolph Hearst
Membership17,000 at peak
AffiliationOrder of World Scouts 1911-1912
 Scouting portal

The American Boy Scouts (ABS) (officially American Boy Scout), later the United States Boy Scouts (officially United States Boy Scout), was an early American Scouting organization formed by William Randolph Hearst in 1910, following on from the formation of the Scouting movement by Robert Baden-Powell between 1903 and 1907. Near the end of its existence, the organization also used the names American Cadets and U.S. Junior Military Forces.

The ABS was the rival of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) similar to the situation in the United Kingdom with Baden Powell's Boy Scouts and the British Boys Scouts who did not like the militarism of early British Scouting. For the most part, there were minor differences between the ABS and the BSA.[1]: 147 

ABS Motto

Semper Paratus
Always prepared[2]

Among the objectives of the organization was to prepare boys for the obligations and duties of citizenship.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference macleod was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference newboston was invoked but never defined (see the help page).