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| AMERICAN PATRIOTISM INTEREST PROJECT |
| America is a unique place to live and work. While it offers many freedoms, each freedom comes with responsibilities. Find out what those freedoms and responsibilities are by doing this interest project. To earn the American Patriotism Interest Project award, you must complete at least two activities in the Skill Builders section, one activity in each of the other three sections, and two other activities in any section you choose. |
| SKILL BUILDERS 1. Find out how to fold the American Flag. Learn and practice this ceremony within your troop or group. You may want to volunteer your services at a future ceremony. 2. Visit a historic place where Americans have signed documents of freedom. What is the significance of the documents signed? 3. Who was living in North America before the French, Spanish, and English "discovered" it? Find two to three ways that the previous inhabitants culture differed from the Europeans. 4. What are the first 10 amendments to the consitution? Why is the Bill of Rights so precious to Americans TODAY? 5. Learn the history of "The Star-Spangled Banner." When and why was it written. 6. Freedom of the press is an important right in our country. What does it mean? Is there any topic that we should never be allowed to print? |
| TECHNOLOGY 1. Make up a logo/theme expressing what patriotism means to you, and put it on a T-shirt, hat, or other apparel visible to others. 2. How has technology changed the way we vote in the United States? 3. Lean how the American flag is made. Can any company produce it? Does the manufacturer have to abide by certain criteria? Discuss your finds with your troop. 4. How do 24-hour nes networks influence the way we view world events? Think of several recent events covered on television or radio. How did you feel watching them live? 5. Use the internet to visit famous national exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution or Library of Congress. Or check out the National Geographic Society to discover the places and poeple that make America unique. |
| CAREER EXPLORATION 1. What career choices would you have had in America in the 1700s, 1800s, or early 1900s? Pick one career, and see how it has changed. 2. Invite someone to your troop who has belonged to one of the United States armed forces. Ask that person to talk about what patriotism is, what she or he did to serve our coutnry, and what you can do if you are interested in a career in the armed forces. 3. Discover the careers available in two to three government agencies. WHat are the qualifications you need to get the job? What would you have to do when you get it? 4. Write a job description for the next president of the United States. What skills, abilities, and characteristics should the ideal candidate have? compare your requirements with those listed in the Constitution. 5. Interview any elected official in your area, and find out what inspired her or him to run for office. |
| SERVICE PROJECTS 1. Find out when an American Flag is considered unserviceable and how you are supposed to dispose of it. Research the flag disposal ceremony's history and presentation, then teach a younger troop, a group of children, or your family about disposing of an unserviceable flag. 2. With your troop or some friends, plant a tree as a "living legacy" to our nations freedoms. Invite another group or someone who has served in the armed foreces to join you. 3. Send cards or greeetings to overseas service people during a patriotic holiday, and thank them for doing a great job in protecting or defending our country's freedom. 4. Work with your community to restore or maintain a historic site, memorial, cemetery, or garden. Spend at least one day helping to get it back in shape. 5. Attend an event that honors those who served their country in your community. Show your support. |
| HELPFUL LINKS American Legion:Our Flag Betsy Ross Homepage Library of Congress National Archives and Records Administration:The Consitution of the United States Nationall Geographic Society Smithsonian Institution |