The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was part of the New Deal, created to employ unemployed Americans and undertake conservation projects during the Great Depression. The program accepted men aged 18-25, including those on Indian reservations and African Americans, but was disbanded during World War II. The CCC was viewed favorably and inspired programs like Americorps, and state agencies with similar goals still exist today.
As part of the New Deal – a series of economic stimulus plans implemented by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt – the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was implemented to achieve two main goals: to employ the multitude of unemployed Americans in the 1930s and ’40s, and to undertake a variety of conservation projects throughout the United States. The program was created to counter the economic devastation left by the Great Depression in the United States.
The Civilian Conservation Corps accepted males between the ages of 18 and 25, although this age range was later slightly expanded. These men generally lived in camps and lived under guidelines that mimicked military standards in many ways. They were given uniforms and expected to live respectfully with one another under threat of dishonorable discharge, just like the military. The program accepted thousands of men, many of whom were impoverished, homeless or starving when they joined.
Men on the Indian reservations were hired by the program during this period, and CCC jobs were often the only jobs for men on the reservations to hold. African Americans also joined, and although they were paid like whites and received the same housing, food, and other benefits, they were still segregated from whites, as was the practice at the time.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States entered World War II and the Civilian Conservation Corps was disbanded earlier than originally planned. As men began to be drafted into the military, fewer and fewer were available to work. Additionally, the federal government funneled more and more funds into the war effort rather than domestic programs, and eventually funding for that stopped altogether.
The CCC was instrumental in turning around the economy after the Great Depression. It employed thousands of unemployed men and gave a younger generation a sense of purpose as well as a means to feed their families. As part of the New Deal, it was viewed very favorably by most Americans, although it was never made a permanent program. Today there are offshoots of the program; for example, Americorps, which was implemented during the Clinton administration, is modeled after the CCC. Additionally, there are a number of state agencies that mirror the program’s goals and duties, including environmental and fire control projects.
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