Bob Cooney, Merit Badge Counselor

Citizenship in the Nation - Prerequisites

Before Merit Badge Tech, do all of the following (estimated time: 2-4 hours):

1. Watch the national evening news five days in a row OR read the front page of a major daily newspaper five days in a row. Be prepared to discuss the national issues you learned about at Merit Badge Tech. If you are watching the national evening news, take notes as you watch, and bring those notes with you to Merit Badge Tech. If you are reading the newspaper, clip out the articles you read. (Scout requirement 3)

2. 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.(Scout requirement 2a)

NOTE: There are 13 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places right here in Grand Traverse County, including some you may have already visited, such as the Boardman Neighborhood Historic District, the City Opera House, and the Perry Hannah House, all in downtown Traverse City. See a complete list at http://focus.nps.gov/nrhp/SearchResults/

There are 46 National Historic Landmarks, including some you may have already visited such as Mackinac Island, the USS Silversides Submarine in Muskegon, and Qunicy Mine in Hancock. For a complete list go to http://www.nps.gov/nhl/find/statelists/mi/MI.pdf

3. Choose a national monument that interests you, maybe one you have visited with your family. Using books, brochures, the internet (with your parent’s permission), and other resources, find out more about the monument. Be prepared to tell what you learned about your national monument at Merit Badge Tech. Suggestion: visit http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/antiquities/FullMap.htm for a complete list of national monuments such as Petrified Forest, Bryce Canyon, and Carlsbad Cave.(Scout requirement 2d)

4. Choose a speech of national historical importance. Find out about the author, and tell your counselor about the person who gave the speech. Explain the importance of the speech at the time it was given, and tell how it applies to American citizens today. Choose a sentence or two from the speech that has significant meaning to you, and tell your counselor why.(Scout requirement 6)

Examples are Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address;” Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech; and Franklin Roosevelt’s address to the nation following the attack on Pearl Harbor, “a day that will live in infamy.”

Complete all of the above before merit badge tech and you will earn your badge that day.

If you have not completed the above requirements before you come to merit badge tech, you can still attend the class, but you will have to work with the counselor to complete the merit badge at a later date.

Bob Cooney 86th District Judge / Merit Badge Counselor (231) 632-8994 [email protected]