The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States, as well as girls of parents serving in military service abroad, based on the Scouting principles developed by Robert Baden-Powell. Juliette Gordon Low, who had met Baden-Powell in London while she was living in the United Kingdom, dreamed of giving the United States "something for all the girls." She envisioned an organization that would bring girls out of their cloistered home environments to serve in their communities and experience the open air.

Girl Scouting began in 1912 when founder Juliette Gordon Low, nicknamed "Daisy", organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting in Savannah, Georgia on March 12. Originally named after the Girl Guides in the United Kingdom, it was known as the Girl Guides of America, until 1913, when it became the Girl Scouts of America. It was further renamed to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America in 1947, and was chartered by the United States Congress on March 16, 1950.

Girl Scouts started with a membership of only 18. Within months, girl members were hiking through the woods in their knee-length blue uniforms, playing basketball in a curtained-off court, and going on camping trips. Today (2005) there are over 3.7 million Girl Scouts — 2.8 million girl members and 954,000 adult members in the United States. More than 50 million American women have enjoyed Girl Scouting during their childhood.