New Deal Dbq

After the Roaring 20s, the United States’ economic system collapsed. This era of despair was known as the Great Depression. In a fight to climb out of this economic pit, the government founded the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of FDR’s New Deal plan. The Great Depression began in late 1929 and continued into the next decade. The CCC was established in 1933 as the U.S. sank deeper and deeper into debt. The Civilian Conservation Corp contributed to the end of the Great Depression by creating jobs for the unemployed, educating those employed, and by supplying the workers families with money.

The goal of FDR’s New Deal, which created the CCC, was to create jobs in the US and the CCC had a major role in that. Over its nine years of operation,

FDR explained during his seventh fireside chat the six principles of the CCC (FDR on Civilian Conservation Corps). First, the project completed would be useful to the public and viable to the US in an economic way. Second the projects shall be of a nature that a considerable proportion of the money spent will go into wages for labor. This gives the money to the people and not just to the project at hand. Third projects which promise ultimate return to the Federal Treasury of a considerable proportion of the costs will be sought. This meant the government will actually make their money back and not add to the national debt. Fourth funds allotted for each project should be actually and promptly spent and not held over until later years. This was to prevent more debt from

Some 57,000 illiterate corpsman learned to read and write in the CCC camps while they were working (Civilian Conservation Corps). Roosevelt strongly believed that the CCC camps would provide healthful surroundings that would ¨Eliminate social threats caused by idleness¨ (Into the Woods) “Our responsibility is to all of the people in this country. This is a great national crusade to destroy enforced idleness which is an enemy of the human spirit generated by this depression.” -Roosevelt (Fireside Chat 7) During the early 1930s in the Great Depression about 20% of men were unemployed. (Unemployment Statistics during the Great Depression) By putting these idle men to work it would boost the economy and further develop their character by providing them with a good wage for their hard work (Message to Congress). On the third anniversary of the CCC’s founding Roosevelt congratulated the program on a radio broadcast saying, “As muscles hardened in any became accustomed to outdoor work you grasped the opportunity to learn by practical training on the job and through camp educational facilities. Many of you rose to responsible positions in the camps. Since the corps began, some 1,150, 000 of you have been graduated, improved in health, self-discipline, alert, and eager for the opportunity to make good in any kind of honest employment.” (Radio Address). This encouraged the corpsmen and even more