Early History (1910-1950)
In 1914, the BSA gave local councils the power to ban African Americans from Scouting. Colored Troops, as they were officially known, were given little support from Districts and Councils. Some Scouting executives and leaders believed that Colored Scouts and Leaders would be less able to live up to the ideals of the Boy Scouts. The National Office began a program of integrating local councils in 1940, which was largely complete in 1948. However, until 1974, some Southern councils of the Boy Scouts of America were still racially segregated.
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