Thesis Statement: The accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps are still seen today throughout our national parks and reservoirs.
During a harsh time what could you do to crawl yourself out of The Great Depression? In this time the state of the country was shambled, broken, and full of poverty. The environment was deteriorating. Much land couldn’t even be used because they were flooded from being overflowed. It was time to take action and our President knew this was a crucial program in the attempt to regain ground on this crisis that was so terribly affecting America. ”Roosevelt had grown up with a strong sense of responsibility to land conservation, and the agency, he felt, formed a direct link between two things necessary for a nation’s survival: the vigor of its workers and the strength of its land””(Wong 54)
One day in 1933 President FDR started a program to help reverse the effects of the depression all while making a positive impact on the environment. This would be carried out through various forms of work. The young men would work long hard days reserving rational parks and other precious nature. Each month they made around thirty dollars and they would send twenty-five home and keep five. This may seem like an insignificant amount that it helped a lot in a time of need.
Even though the program was discontinued, the youngman left beautiful creations and environmental conservations that still remain today. It’s unbelievable how much of an impact all these young men made and many might think that the program was small but it was quite the contrary cities would have to make camps or find housing for the men. Lots of times the camps would be overcrowded all over the U.S. this occurred. The young men knew it was hard work but they reported that they actually appreciated the opportunity and did not mind the work if it meant helping their families. A. Woog stated, “An entire generation was in danger of growing up unskilled, untrained, and lacking self-confidence” (54). People in the war times knew how crucial it was to make sure our home land was well appreciated and everyone held themselves accountable in America for how things were or happened.
The accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps are still seen today throughout our national parks and reservoirs.
President Roosevelt knew just how important the need for a program like “The CCC ” was in younger America. It is crucial to understand the true gravity of what “The CCC” did in our country. Many families lost jobs, men that were rich in the stock market were doomed to the fate that every penny was lost, and they would have to find work. Young men of the families had to prioritize their families income over their own education, and most of the time the jobs just simply weren’t available. This led to huge job searches even if it included travel to find them. They needed money and it wasn’t coming in if they just sat around and waited for an opportunity; many homes found this out the hard way. Many could not fathom that men who were successful and suddenly broke would give up completely, and as sad as it is to think they would leave their families and commit suicide, for they thought their was no hope.
FDR started the program in high hope that it would push the country in the right direction which it indeed did. Many were motivated to work and were happy to drop everything to get thirty dollars a month for their families. “The men would receive $30 a month, but they had to promise to send allotments of $22-$25 a month back home to family dependents.”(Speakman) Interestingly enough among the first of many enrolled were 12,000 reservation indians. “By executive order on April 14, Roosevelt authorized the enrollment of 12,000 reservation Indians, with no restrictions on age or marital status”(Speakman). When it came for the second wave of enrollment they had a realization that if they enrolled a ton of unemployed people from a different state that the unemployed locals would be disheartened and likely retaliate to the government.
So in accord to this they were authorized to only recruit LEMs (Local Experienced Men) this meant they lived closest to the areas and locations of the camps. “The solution was the authorization by executive order on April 22 to recruit Local Experienced Men. These would typically be men who lived in the vicinity of the camps and had some kind of forestry experience”(Speakman).
Another point that is important to know because it usually isn’t the first thing you hear when you research “The CCC” is that people praised the white camps but their were so called “Negro Camps”(Sherraden 516) that people discredited and even tried to put fear into the members but in reality these camps were just as crucial and successful as the white camps for the environment. The reason people didn’t like this was because their ideologies were so blinded by race that they wanted all the money from the program to help white people’s families and they would rather discard the black men’s families. “No sooner had such camps been occupied than angry complaints began to flood Fechner’s office insisting that they be filled with white enrollees or be removed” (Sherraden 516).
In Conclusion the standing effects that “The CCC” had and still has on the country was not something of insignificance that will be forgotten, but instead a reminder that we will stand to help our country in a time of need in order to help our families and our homeland. Many things that the men from this program participated in the building of and planting of trees still stand today as we go about our everyday lives. It is important to understand that they sacrificed much in order to help not only their families but themselves as well.
Works Cited
- Woog, Adam. Roosevelt and the New Deal. World History Series , 1998.
- Sherraden, Michael W. “The Local Impact of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933-1942.” Western Michigan University, Sept. 1983. Date Accessed November 3 2022.
- Redner, Dora. “The Winona Civilian Conservation Corps Camp.” Winona Civilian Conservation Corps Camp.
- Thompson, Craig. Force for Nature,
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