(National Women’s History Museum)
March marks the beginning of Women’s History Month, so we turn our focus towards the remarkable women who have blazed new trails and left their mark on history. Our first honoree is Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, on October 31, 1860, Juliette Gordon Low was affectionately referred to as “Crazy Daisy” by her affluent Southern family, and more simply as “Daisy” by her friends. Her mother, Nellie, was an artist and early proponent of the Arts and Crafts Movement while her father, Willie, a Yale graduate, would become a U.S. General and peace negotiator. Low was always seen as a bit off-beat in her mannerisms with her brother once calling her a brilliant eccentric. Part of her brilliance came from attending a number of reputable schools growing up including the French finishing school, Mesdemoiselles Charbonniers in New York City. As for her being eccentric, she had a love of exotic birds which could often be found perched on her shoulder, and she would often play the role of amuser in her family to make people feel better.
When she was twenty-six, Low fell in love with a wealthy English shipping magnate living in Savannah, William Low. Marrying against her family’s wishes, she followed William to England where she socialized with royals and once went duck hunting with author and poet Rudyard Kipling. Unfortunately, their extravagant adventures were not enough to keep their love alive. Spending much of their time being separated, William ultimately left Daisy for another woman after over a decade of marriage. Their divorce never reached its full conclusion, however, due to William dying suddenly in 1905. In his will, he left much of his estate to his mistress, but Daisy was able to contest the will to win a large settlement including William’s Savannah property.
Low fell into despair after the end of her marriage and decided to throw herself into art, studying sculpture in Paris. However, sometimes one’s worst tragedies lead to the greatest opportunities. Such was the case for Low. While looking for a new sculpture teacher in London, she met English officer Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts. Low became close friends with both Baden-Powell and his sister Agnes. Low and Agnes would work together to create a counterpart to the Boy Scouts for girls. After experiencing the positive reaction that girls had to becoming British Girl Guides, Low became convinced that all girls could benefit from scouting. She believed in scouting’s benefit on girls so much that she returned to Savannah, Georgia, in 1912 with hopes of creating a scouting group in America.
Once she arrived back home in Savannah, she called her niece, Nina Pape, to help bring her vision for girls not just in Savannah or the state of Georgia, but for girls in the United States and beyond. That phone call and subsequent meeting would lead to amazing outcomes. The first Girl Scout troop was made up of 18 girls who shared both a curiosity and a belief that they could do anything. In 1916, Low published How Girls Can Help Their Country: A Handbook for Girl Scouts which encouraged girls to build electromagnets, taught them how to build campfires and use compasses, and challenged them to study the aerodynamics of flight among other things. In the Victorian era, the book was seen as radical for promoting “boy” activities to girls. Low, however, defended her methods against claims that they would make girls into tomboys because, in her view, the most valuable asset a girl gains from being in the Girl Scouts is their sense of responsibility brought about through teamwork. The handbook also introduced merit badges which were gained not only for completing tasks that were traditional women’s roles, but also for deep exploration of technical and scientific concepts.
What started with just 18 girls in 1912, had grown to over 70,000 members nationwide by 1920. Girls across the country embraced the mission to foster individual growth, character, and self-sufficiency. From the beginning, Low wanted to expand what was possible for girls from every walk of life. She recruited girls on the fringes of society at the time including girls of color, Jewish girls, orphans, and girls across various economic backgrounds, all working together to learn and grow. Martin Luther King Jr. even referred to the Girl Scouts as a “force of desegregation.”
What Low started has empowered girls for generations and continues to have a positive impact on society. Today, girls who participate in the Girl Scouts are significantly more likely than their peers to have a strong sense of self, seek challenges and learn from setbacks, develop and maintain healthy relationships, exhibit community problem-solving skills, do better in school, graduate both high school and college, and end up in leadership roles. In fact, 4 out of 5 Girl Scouts end up taking on leadership positions in life. Despite how large the Girl Scouts have become, you can still find the Carriage House where the first meetings were held in the Juliette Gordon Low Historic District of Savannah. All of the properties in the district are associated with the origins of the Girl Scouts of America as a reminder of the significance the area played in history.
On May 29, 2012, President Obama chose Low as one of thirteen extraordinary honorees for the Medal of Freedom. A fitting reminder of the amazing legacy Low left behind.
The Girl Scout Law:
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring
courageous and strong,
and responsible for what I say and do,
and to respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
Make the world a better place,
and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Sources:
Georgia Historical Society (n.d.). Brief Biography. Georgia History. https://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/online-exhibits/featured-historical-figures/juliette-gordon-low/brief-biography/
Girl Scout Research Institute. (2017). The Girl Scout impact study. https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gsusa/forms-and-documents/about-girl-scouts/research/GSRI_ImpactStudy_2017.pdf
Girl Scouts of the USA (2012, May 24). Juliette’s Presidential Medal of Freedom. Girl Scouts. https://web.archive.org/web/20120618180422/http://forgirls.girlscouts.org/juliettes-presidential-medal-of-freedom/
Girl Scouts of the USA (n.d.). Promise and Law. Girl Scouts. https://www.girlscouts.org/en/discover/about-us/what-girl-scouts-do/promise-and-law.html
Kehe, M. (2012). That ‘Crazy Daisy’ who started the Girl Scouts. The Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0312/That-Crazy-Daisy-who-started-the-Girl-Scouts
Levy, E. (2006). Getting to know Juliette Gordon Low. LEADER Magazine. Girl Scouts of the USA. https://web.archive.org/web/20060929124332/http://www.girlscouts.org/for_adults/leader_magazine/2006_spring/getting_to_know_jgl.asp
Spring, K. (2017). Juliette Gordon Low. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/what-did-girls-want