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N0KFQ > TODAY 10.04.08 09:00l 48 Lines 2326 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Apr 10
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To : TODAY@ALLUS
April 10, 1933
FDR creates Civilian Conservation Corps
On this day in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt establishes
the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), an innovative federally
funded organization that put thousands of Americans to work
during the Great Depression on projects with environmental
benefits.
In 1932, FDR took America's political helm during the country's
worst economic crisis, declaring a "government worthy of its name
must make a fitting response" to the suffering of the unemployed.
He implemented the CCC a little over one month into his
presidency as part of his administration's "New Deal" plan for
social and economic progress. The CCC reflected FDR's deep
commitment to environmental conservation. He waxed poetic when
lobbying for the its passage, declaring "the forests are the
‘lungs' of our land [which] purify our air and give fresh
strength to our people."
The CCC, also known as "Roosevelt's Tree Army," was open to
unemployed, unmarried U.S. male citizens between the ages of 18
and 26. All recruits had to be healthy and were expected to
perform hard physical labor. Blacks were placed in de-facto
segregated camps, although administrators denied the practice of
discrimination. Enlistment in the program was for a minimum of 6
months; many re-enlisted after their first term. Participants
were paid $30 a month and often given supplemental basic and
vocational education while they served. Under the guidance of the
Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, CCC employees fought
forest fires, planted trees, cleared and maintained access roads,
re-seeded grazing lands and implemented soil-erosion controls.
They built wildlife refuges, fish-rearing facilities, water
storage basins and animal shelters. To encourage citizens to get
out and enjoy America's natural resources, FDR authorized the CCC
to build bridges and campground facilities. From 1933 to 1942,
the CCC employed over 3 million men.
Of Roosevelt's many New Deal policies, the CCC is considered by
many to be one of the most enduring and successful. It provided
the model for future state and federal conservation programs. In
1942, Congress discontinued appropriations for the CCC, diverting
the desperately needed funds to the effort to win World War II.
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