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Edition 2026Active Merit Badge

American Cultures

Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition

This badge is built around three groups you choose yourself — one of them your own. The work is mostly getting out and meeting people: a festival, a place of worship, a conversation with someone who can tell you what their traditions actually mean. Pick your three groups first, because requirements 1, 2, and 3 all depend on them.

Key Requirements Covered:

  • Cultural Community Engagement
  • Historical Perspectives
  • Traditions & Customs
  • Contributions to American Society
5Printable Pages
5Requirements
2006Reqs Revised

What is on the worksheet: American Cultures Requirements

Every requirement for the American Cultures merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.

1

Meeting Two of the Groups

Do TWO of the following, choosing a different group for each:

  • a Go to a festival, celebration, or other event identified with one of the groups. Report on what you see and learn.
  • b Go to a place of worship, school, or other institution identified with one of the groups. Report on what you see and learn.
  • c Talk with a person from one of the groups about the heritage and traditions of the group. Report on what you learn.
  • d Learn a song, dance, poem, or story that is traditional to one group, and teach it to a group of your friends.
  • e Go to a library or museum to see a program or exhibit featuring one group's traditions. Report on what you see and learn.
2

Imagining a Different History

Imagine that one of the groups had always lived alone in a city or country to which no other groups ever came. Tell what you think the city or country might be like today. Now tell what you think it might be like if the three groups you chose lived there at the same time.

3

Customs Compared

Tell about some differences between the religious and social customs of the three groups. Tell about some ideas or ways of doing things that are similar in the three groups.

4

Three Contributions

Tell about a contribution made to our country by three different people, each from a different racial, ethnic, or religious background.

5

Give a Talk, Lead a Discussion

Give a talk to your Scout unit or class at school on how people from different groups have gotten along together. Lead a discussion on what can be done to help various groups understand one another better.

Two dates, two different things

Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date

Scouting America last revised the American Cultures requirements in 2006. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.

Verbatim Fidelity & Verification

This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/american-cultures/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.

Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.

Spotted a discrepancy on this sheet? Tell us and we will re-check it against the official requirements.

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