Inside Roosevelt's Other Army:
A Look Inside the Civilian Conservation Corps
The following writing sample was originally submitted to the Library of Congress for publication on their public website. All research was conducted using archival materials from the Law Library at the Library of Congress. The purpose of this project was to transform dense, archival material into an engaging narrative that would be accessible for the general public and to promote readership of the Library's website. This submission is pending publication after review by a Congressional committee (all writing submissions which mention Congress must be reviewed by a committee prior to publication by the Library of Congress).
In his address to accept the Presidential Nomination at the Democratic National Convention in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt remarked, “In the call for the reforestation [of the nation]... employment can be given to a million men.” This grand undertaking the soon-to-be President spoke of would eventually become one of the most successful programs of Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” Against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the severe drought known as the Dust Bowl, America faced severe unemployment, looming famine and growing public despair. With the power of Congress’s Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1933, President Roosevelt signed his promise into law by executive order on April 5th, 1933 –– Thus, the Civilian Conservation Corps was born.
The Civilian Conservation Corps, or CCC, was a voluntary youth labor program established nationally to provide employment and preserve natural resources. Unemployed, unmarried young men between the ages of 18 to 25 were eligible for an enrollment period of up to two years. Later, the popularity of the program combined with the stress of the Great Depression prompted enrollment to expand to a limited number of veterans. CCC projects could range from building and repairing infrastructure, fighting forest fires, environmental conservation and more. In addition to manual labor, enrollees were also provided with job training and opportunities to further their education, such as literacy classes.
United States Resettlement Administration, Mydans, Carl, photographer. CCC Civilian Conservation Corps boys at work, Prince George's County, Maryland. United States Prince Georges County Maryland Prince Georges County, 1935. Aug. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017713889/.
CCC enrollees hard at work in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Camp life and administration followed the military lifestyle. In fact, the U.S. Army was in charge of administration across the country, alongside the Department of Labor, Department of War, Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior. However, the CCC operated on a state-by-state level, so recruitment, individual camp administration and assigned projects varied by state. In the spirit of the army, workers would complete military drills, wear army-inspired uniforms and even rise at dawn to the classic military bugle.
Life in the CCC wasn’t all work and no play, however. Evening hours at camp were spent reading, playing recreational sports, personal projects like woodworking and even the occasional night out on the town –– with permission. In fact, weekend fun for the young men of Roosevelt’s “Tree Army” are strikingly similar to our own: More sports, relaxation, club participation (like choir), trips to the cinema and, when the local girls were available, co-ed dances. Unsurprisingly, with their clean uniforms, labor-sculpted physique and extra pocket money, the CCC boys were a hit with the ladies! So much, in fact, that the local men would sometimes set forest fires in order to send the CCC boys out fighting fires instead of attending dates.
Over the program’s lifetime, the CCC was incredibly popular and successful. During the Great Depression, nearly 50% of children in the U.S. lacked sufficient food, shelter and medical care. A large portion of the population was starving to death. In the CCC, however, all workers were fed hearty meals, and at breakfast and dinner, the young men were instructed to eat as much as they could without restriction. This was not only a morale booster, but highly practical –– Malnourished young men can’t work as hard, and strong men would be more efficient and valuable as future citizens than starving ones.
Enrollment in the corps not only aided these young men by providing food, shelter and purpose, but their families, too. Every enrollee was paid an allowance of $30 per month –– $22 of that income was obligated to be sent to an assigned dependent, usually the worker’s family. This practice ensured that the much needed income would help provide for those ineligible for the CCC program, like women, children and the elderly.
The CCC intercamp newspaper, Happy Day, provides insight as to where the enrollees would spend their remaining $8 paycheck. The pages of Happy Days are filled with advertisements of goods and services: “Remember Mother!” pillow tops for Mother’s Day, 50c to a dollar each! Happy Days was managed by volunteer enrollees, allowing workers to hone their skills in preparation for a career in journalism. The newspaper also provided an important medium for the CCC to build a collective camp identity.
Harris & Ewing, photographer. PRESIDENT RECEIVES CCC ESSAY WINNER. WASHINGTON, D.C. APRIL 6. WINNER OF THE NATIONAL ESSAY CONTEST CONDUCTED BY 'HAPPY DAYS', OFFICIAL PAPER OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, P.J. O'DONNELL, CCC COMPANYOF WOONSOCKET, RI, WAS PRESENTED TO PRESIDENT. United States Washington D.C. District of Columbia Washington D.C, 1937. [April 6] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2016883750/.
President Roosevelt greets the winner of the CCC Happy Days essay contest, P. J. O’Donnell.
During its tenure between 1933 to 1942, the Civilian Conservation Corps planted over 2 billion trees, earning the nickname “Roosevelt’s Tree Army.” Over 3,000,000 young men were employed by the corps, operating across 4,500 camps nation-wide and aided in the establishment of 800 state parks, the restoration of over 4,000 historic structures, creation of 5,000 miles of water lines and over 6.5 million days fighting forest fires.
While the Civilian Conservation Corps is no longer active today, their legacy lives on.
For further reading on the CCC, check out the National Parks Service website and the CCC Legacy Alumni group.