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Civics merit badge
Status: Discontinued BSA Advancement ID: unavailable
Created: 1911 Original/new/replaced:
Discontinued: 1948 Replaced by:



The Civics merit badge was one of the original 57 merit badges issued by the Boy Scouts of America in 1911.

Civics is a discontinued merit badge. It was one of the original 1911 merit badges, but was renamed Citizenship by the 1948 revision to the Boy Scout Handbook. That badge was then replaced by Citizenship in the Nation in in 1951 and Citizenship in the Community and Citizenship in the Home in 1952 (later renamed as the Family Life merit badge). At the same time, the World Brotherhood badge was introduced, and these four badges constituted the "Citizenship Group" of merit badges, any two of which were required for Eagle. In 1972, the Citizenship in the World merit badge replaced World Brotherhood.


1. State the principal citizenship requirements of an elector in his state.

2. Know the principal features of the naturalization laws of the United States.

3. Know how President, Vice-President, senators, and congressmen of the United States are elected and their terms of office.

4. Know the number of judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, how appointed, and their term of office.

5. Know the various administrative departments of government, as represented in the President's Cabinet.

6. Know how the governor, lieutenant-governor, senators, representatives, or assemblymen of his state are elected, and their terms of office.

7. Know whether the judges of the principal courts in his state are appointed or elected, and the length of their terms.

8. Know how the principal officers in his town or city are elected and for what terms.

9. Know the duties of the various city departments, such as fire, police, board of health, etc.

10. Draw a map of the town or city in which he lives, giving location of the principal public buildings and points of special interest.

11. Give satisfactory evidence that he is familiar with the provisions and history of the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States.

Boy Scout Handbook, 1911 Edition
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