Term paper on Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

RESOURCE GUIDE

Established on March 31, 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was an attempt to reduce the country’s massive unemployment. Authorized initially to employ 250,000 young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the CCC ultimately employed more than 2 million before Congress abolished it in 1943. These youths, who had come from urban areas, wore uniforms and lived in camps run along military lines. They undertook such tasks as reforestation, soil conservation, and general improvements in the nation’s parks and could also enroll in educational courses. Most of their small monthly wages was sent home to their families.

Suggestions for Term Papers

1. Discuss the origins of the CCC.

2. Discuss how various participants viewed their experience in the program.

3. Did the achievements of the CCC outweigh its shortcomings?

4. Should Congress have abolished the CCC?

5. Compare the CCC with similar contemporary programs.

Suggested Sources : See entry 32 for related items.

REFERENCE SOURCES

Encyclopedia of American History . 7th rev. ed. Richard B. Morris and Jeffery B. Morris, eds. New York : HarperCollins, 1996. Basic source of information with chronologies, biographies, and numerous tables. Good coverage of the CCC.

Historical Dictionary of the New Deal: From Inauguration to Preparation for War . James S. Olson, ed. Westport , CT : Greenwood , 1985. The most comprehensive reference work on the New Deal. Treats 700 personalities, political groups, agencies, legislation, and various topics in clear, concise fashion. Good coverage of the CCC.

The Presidents: A Reference History . 2d ed. New York : Macmillan Library Reference USA , 1997. Comprehensive history of the American presidency from Washington to Clinton . Good treatment of FDR and all his programs.

GENERAL SOURCES

Daynes, Byron W., et al., eds. The New Deal and Public Policy . New York : St. Martin ‘s, 1998. Collection of papers from a recent conference covering various aspects of the New Deal. Contains an interesting description of CCC as an idea whose time had come.

Eden, Robert, ed. The New Deal and Its Legacy: Critique and Reappraisal . Westport , CT : Greenwood , 1989. Collection of essays—some brief, some probing, some angry about the impact of the New Deal. Written from a neoconservative point of view.

Leuchtenburg, William E. The FDR Years: On Roosevelt and His Legacy . New York : Columbia University Press, 1995. Excellent insight into Roosevelt and his tremendous impact. Compelling, informed analysis of the New Deal included.

Rosenbaum, Herbert D., and Elizabeth Bartelme, eds. Franklin D. Roosevelt: The Man, the Myth, the Era, 1882–1945 . Westport , CT : Greenwood , 1987. Comprehensive coverage and assessment of many aspects of FDR’s presidency in twenty-three papers from a professional conference. Treats several aspects of the New Deal.

Rozell, Mark J., and William Pederson, eds. FDR and the Modern Presidency: Leadership and Legacy . Westport , CT : Praeger, 1997. Collection of new essays exploring the impact of FDR on the modern presidency. The New Deal is one of several topics examined.

SPECIALIZED SOURCES

Kiefer, E. Kay, and Paul E. Fellows. Hobnail Boots and Khaki Suits: A Brief Look at the Great Depression and the Civilian Conservation Corps as Seen through the Eyes of Those Who Were There . Chicago : Adams , 1983. Brief examination of the CCC with observations of its role in alleviating the suffering of the Depression.

Lacy, Leslie A. The Soil Soldiers: The Civilian Conservation Corps in the Great Depression . Radnor , PA : Chilton, 1976. Excellent history of the CCC. Examines the activities of recruits and provides background detail.

Lange, Howard E. The CCC, a Humanitarian Endeavor During the Great Depression . New York : Vantage, 1984. Brief history of the CCC with a positive interpretation of its noble intent.

Merrill, Perry H. Roosevelt’s Forest Army: A History of the Civilian Conservation Corps, 1933–1942 . Montpelier , VT : P. H. Merrill, 1981. Contains extensive quotations from CCC participants, with summaries of activity state by state. Privately published. Order through interlibrary loan.

Salmond, John A. The Civilian Conservation Corps, 1932–1942: A New Deal Case Study . Durham , NC : Duke University Press, 1967. Considered the best history on the origin, development, failure, and successes of the CCC. Written clearly with excellent documentation.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Alsop, Joseph. FDR, 1882–1945: A Centenary Remembrance . (1982). Reprint. New York : Gramercy, 1998. Classic work by a noted author that examines FDR’s personal and political lives, with some insight into the New Deal.

Maney, Patrick J. The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR . (1992). Reprint. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. Wellwritten, concise biographical work with balanced account of the New Deal as well as foreign policy. Somewhat critical assessment of FDR.

Morgan, Ted. FDR: A Biography . New York: Touchstone/Simon&Schuster, 1986. A well-researched examination of FDR in clear and readable terms. Sees FDR as an important agent of change.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

The Great Depression: 1929–1939 . Mount Kisco, NY: Center for Humanities, 1968. Videocassette. Brief (32 minutes) but comprehensive examination of the Great Depression that provides insight into New Deal legislation such as that establishing the CCC.

WORLD WIDE WEB

Civilian Conservation Corps Museum . (Nov. 1997). http://www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/museccc.html Overview of the museum dedicated to the Michigan participation in CCC. Link to ‘‘Roosevelt’s Tree Army” provides a detailed historical narrative.