Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps is a 2009 American Experience Documentary.

Plot: During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps as a way of putting to work thousands of young men across the country. This documentary celebrates the 75th anniversary of the creation of the corps and details its efforts in road-building, planting trees, and working across the country in forests and parks.

My Take: As a history buff, I'm embarrassed to say that I had never heard of the CCC.  However, you can see the success of their efforts all across the country in the healthy forests and in the state parks.  Virtually every state had a division of the CCC, giving thousands of young men a job to do, a roof over their heads, and three meals a day.  Considering this was during the Depression, this was a lifeline for many men.  They were paid a dollar a day, and required to send the majority of their money back home to their families.  One of the nation's first stimulus programs!  Not only that, but it helped them to get into good physical conditioning, which was vital when we began to build up our armed forces for World War II.

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