Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression Essay -- American

Civilian Conservation Corps and the Great Depression â€Å" Our greatest task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the government itself, treating the task as we would threat the emergency of war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing greatly needed projects to stimulate and recognize the use of our national resources.† Franklin D. Roosevelt March 4, 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt indeed turned the lives of many young male Americans around. During a time when our economy was in the greatest depression in U.S. history, he gave them hope and a light at the end of the tunnel by providing them with a more stable lifestyle than was available anywhere else. Many people lost their jobs as factories and businesses closed, and the job opportunities for male youths were nonexistent. At first, people believed it was a disgrace to accept public assistance, but the Great Depression changed that attitude. Both public and private programs tried to help those who had no money. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) may be one of the greatest contributions to American citizens during this time of need. The Civilian Conservation Corps was created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create jobs after the depression. In 1932, as governor of New York, he introduced the idea of using 10,000 men who were on public relief to plant trees. During his 1932 Democratic Party presidential nomination acceptance speech, he proposed giving employment to a million men in forestry across the nation. The proposed CCC would take two-hundred and fifty thousand unemployed young men to work on federal and state owned lan... ... still surviving. CCC alumni have donated many of the photographs and artifacts depicting their day-to-day life and accomplishments to the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum in Grayling, MI. Roosevelt’s project truly made an impact on many American lives and helped to turn the economy around during one of our country’s lowest points. Works Cited â€Å"Civilian Conservation Corps Museum.† www.sos.state.mi.us/history/museum/museccc/index.html. Michigan Historical Center, Michigan Department of State. 26 April 2000 Moyryla, Uno B. Personal Interview. 20 April 2000. Pictorial Review: Fort Brady District, Company 3613. 1940 ed. Wetmore, MI. Rosentreter, Roger L. â€Å"Roosevelt’s Tree Army: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Michigan.† Michigan History Magazine May/June 1986: 14-23. Smith, Clyde. â€Å"Youth Needed Corps Jobs Badly.† The Daily Mining Gazette.