The origin of the Scout Law derives from the parallel and closely connected development of the North American and British youth outdoor programs.

When writing Scouting for Boys, General Baden-Powell drew inspiration from the work of Ernest Thompson Seton, who had founded the Woodcraft Indians in Canada and the U.S. in 1902, and who later was instrumental in spreading Scouting throughout North America.

Based on encouragement from Seton in 1904, Baden-Powell began forming his Boy Scouts in England.

So far, it is unclear to what degree Seton and Baden-Powell collaborated in developing the nine essential points common to nearly all worldwide scouting programs.

By 1912 Seton's The Book of Woodcraft [2] studied the qualities of Native American Indians using a list identical to the full 12 points of the 1911 U.S.