The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is the largest youth organization in the United States having over five million members. It was founded in 1910 as part of the Scout Movement. It is believed that over one hundred million Americans have been members. Individual units of the BSA rely largely on volunteers although at higher commercial levels of administration professionals are employed. The BSA is a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

The BSA arose amidst concerns of the progressive movement in the United States from people who sought to promote the social welfare of young men. The BSA adheres to the Scout method to teach typical Scouting values such as self-esteem, citizenship and outdoorsmanship through a variety of activities such as camping, aquatics and hiking.

The BSA recognizes the achievements of Scouts through advancements in rank and special awards. It includes several membership divisions, targeted at boys ages seven through seventeen and young men and women ages fourteen through twenty-one. The BSA operates locally, through volunteer-led units generally known as troops, packs and crews.

The BSA has been both criticized and supported for its membership policies, which prohibit participation by atheists, agnostics, and "known or avowed" homosexuals, and limit participation by girls. (However, there is a parallel association, the Girl Scouts of the USA, which readily admits young women into its ranks. These two organizations are closely associated, and have been known to work in tandem for major camporees and similar events.)

童子军运动是英国人贝登堡1907年在伦敦发起，旨在为贫富各阶层男孩提供锻炼意志与技能的活动，将男孩们培训成为勇敢坚强的男性。1910年传入美国后蓬勃发展。目前全世界有二百多国家是国际童子军协会会员，美国男童军是其中最大的组织。美国男童军总部设于德克萨斯州达拉斯，全美各地有300多个分会，上千万会员，大部分是少儿，也包括成人志愿者。 

童子军传入具有牛仔精神的美国后，传统活动更具有男性特点，如室外活动、露营、探险、求生技能训练等。组织形式以成人义工领导的小分队为单位开展活动。美国男童军创立之初，以招收10岁以上男孩为主，随着很多更年少的孩子迫切要求加入，开设了针对7到10岁男童的“幼童军”(Cub Scouting)级别。近年来美国男童军也根据现代社会需要开办新型项目活动，20世纪末，增设了全新的“冒险队”级别，吸收14到20岁的男女青少年，其项目和活动方式与传统的童子军小队形式不同。

男童军的“老鹰童军奖”(Eagle Scout Award)是美国家喻户晓的少儿社会服务奖，反映了获奖人的领袖能力与社会奉献精神。从童子军级别和奖项名称采用凶猛的野兽命名，就可以看出美国人培养男孩的取向是非常彪悍男性化的，这也反映了民族的文化精神。

目前美国男童军的级别有：

幼童军(Cub Scouting) ：7-10岁或1-5年级

                    幼虎童子军：一年级

                     幼狼童子军：二年级

                     幼熊童子军：三年级

                     过渡童子军：四、五年级

男童军(Boy Scouting)：11-17岁

冒险队(Venturing)：14-20岁，男女兼收

成人会员：18岁以上的男女可以加入男童军成为成人会员，担任领队等义工职责。