What was the civilian conservation corps purpose

Neatrour, Anna. Digital Public Library of America. September The program provided employment to enrolllees and financial support to their families during the Great Depression, while developing much needed conservation and infrastructure projects for a country that had been devastated by over logging and farming practices that contributed to soil erosion.

Camps in the South generally were segregated, and in order to avoid placement near hostile communities officials placed a large number of African American camps on National Park land far away from population centers. Though there were nearly all-black CCC companies in the program's history, the first all-black camp - with African American superintendents, designers, a commander and his staff - was not established until in Gettysburg, PA.

This image was c. During the life of the CCC , the 3 million men who served in Roosevelt's Tree Army were credited with planting an estimated 2. This was one of the new processes brought in to speed up work to fill defense orders. January The following summer the CCC program was terminated, after putting three million men to work in over 6, camps nationwide, and establishing over state parks. Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America.

Her work helped lay the foundation for modern codebreaking today. I n the summer of , hundreds of wildfires raged across the Northern Rockies. By the time it was all over, more than three million acres had burned and at least 78 firefighters were dead. It was the largest fire in American history. From early policies around the nation's forests, through the shutdown of Civilian Conservation Camps, explore a timeline of events.

Full Screen Previous Next. Support Provided by: Learn More. Now Streaming The Codebreaker Discover the fascinating story of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the groundbreaking cryptanalyst who helped bring down gangsters and break up a Nazi spy ring in South America. At the time, more than , corpsmen were spread across 2, camps. American league baseball hall-of-famer Stan Musial also worked for the CCC, as did test pilot Chuck Yeager , the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Trade unions opposed the training of unskilled workers when so many union members were out of work. They also opposed Army involvement in the CCC, which they feared could lead to state control and regimentation of labor.

CCC companies contributed to an impressive number of state and national park structures that visitors can still enjoy today. More than new state parks were established through the CCC program. Monuments and statues dedicated to the CCC and its alumni dot parks across the country. The extensive development and expansion of park facilities and services by the CCC made possible the modern state and national park systems Americans enjoy today.

The CCC became a model for future conservation programs. More than present-day corps programs operate at local, state, and national levels engaging young adults in community service and conservation activities. The National Civilian Community Corps, part of AmeriCorps — a national service program — enrolls to year-old men and women for month stints working for non-profit and governmental organizations, often with an environmental purpose.

National Park Service. National Archives. CCC Brief History. Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. When Franklin D. Roosevelt was sworn in as president in , he took the helm of a United States brought to its knees by the Great Depression. With unemployment as high as 25 percent, millions were out of work and an entire generation of young people had lost hope in their During the Great Depression, which began in and lasted approximately a decade, shantytowns appeared across the U.

As the Depression worsened in the s, causing severe hardships for millions of Americans, many looked