The "Citizenship in the Nation" merit badge is an Eagle Required merit badge that focuses on helping scouts understand the rights, duties, and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. It's designed to teach young people about the structure of the U.S. government, the importance of being an informed and engaged citizen, and the role of citizens in a democratic society.
I took a roll call of both patrols to see who has earned this badge. We have less than a quarter of our scouts who have earned this important badge. The last Scout who earned it was RJ Gleason who completed it last week.
Mrs. Viger and I our both Merit Badge Counselors for this important badge, so we have the unique opportunity to complete it as a Troop.
Starting this coming Thursday, we will begin this badge at our troop meeting. Please do not miss this opportunity to participate and download the worksheet here:
We will be asking those Scouts that have completed this badge to assist with covering the requirements. Additonally, we will be asking RJ Gleason to "show and tell" us about requirement #8, in particular the letter he wrote to a member of Congress. See requirements list below.
ALSO - Many of you are half way done with the Public Speaking badge. Please consider finishing it by arranging to deliver your remaining speech(es). Please let me know by Wednesday if you choose to deliver a speech and which requirement you will covering.
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To earn the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge, Scouts have to complete the following requirements:
What is the Constitution of the United States? What does the Constitution do? What principles does it reflect? Why is it important to have a Constitution?
List the six purposes for creating the United States Constitution set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution. How do these purposes affect your family and community?
List the three branches of the United States government. Explain:
The function of each branch of government
Why it is important to divide powers among different branches
How each branch "checks" and "balances" the others
How citizens can be involved in each branch of government.
Discuss the importance of:
Declaration of Independence
The Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution) and the 14th Amendment
The traditional United States motto "E Pluribus Unum".
Watch the national evening news for five days in a row or read the main stories in a national media organization (e.g., a newspaper or news website) for five days in a row. Discuss the national issues that you learned about with your counselor. Choose one issue and explain how it affects you, your family, and community.
With your counselor's approval, choose a speech of national historical importance. Explain:
Who the author was
What the historical context was
What difficulties the nation faced that the author wished to discuss
What the author said
Why the speech is important to the nation's history.
Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.
7. Do TWO of the following:
Visit a place that is listed as a National Historic Landmark or that is on the National Register of Historic Places. Tell your counselor what you learned about the landmark or site and what you found interesting about it.
Tour your state capitol building or the U.S. Capitol. Tell your counselor what you learned about the capitol, its function, and the history.
Tour a federal facility. Explain to your counselor what you saw there and what you learned about its function in the local community and how it serves this nation.
Choose a national monument that interests you. Using books, brochures, the internet (with your parent's permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Tell your counselor what you learned, and explain why the monument is important to this country's citizens.
8. Name your representatives in the United States Congress. Write a letter to your representative in Congress explaining your views on a national issue. Show your letter, along with any response you might receive, to your counselor.
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