The author connects the idea of the damage from the Dust Bowl to the work of the CCC by explaining the work the men of the CCC did to reduce erosion. In the text, it is noted that the forests planted by the men helped to reduce erosion and provided some shelter from the winds of the Dust Bowl, highlighting how their efforts directly addressed the environmental challenges caused by that crisis.
1 Franklin D. Roosevelt became President of the United States in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression. The economic "crash" on October 24, 1929, had led to an 89 percent decline in the stock market. To make matters worse, many in the country had lived through the Dust Bowl and its severe drought. The country's jobless rate had reached over 25 percent, and nearly 50 percent of the children in the country lacked adequate food, shelter, and medical care. President Roosevelt promised to get people back to work. He also had a long-standing interest in conserving the country's national resources. In a 1931 speech, Roosevelt expressed this interest by stating, "The green slopes of our forested hills lured our first settlers here and furnished them the materials of a happy life. They and their descendants were a little careless with that asset."
2 Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was designed to help resolve the nation's problems. The CCC was Roosevelt's brainchild, and it was often known as his "pet." The program provided unskilled, manual labor jobs for young men who could not find work during the Great Depression. These jobs focused on conservation and development of natural resources.
The Men of the Corps
3 In 1933, thousands of young men came to serve in Franklin D. Roosevelt's conservation corps. They came from all over America--from the cities, small towns, and farms. These men opted for long days and hard, dirty work, living in quasi-military camps far from home. They earned money to send to their needy families, received three square meals a day, and escaped from idle purposelessness by contributing to the renewal and beautification of the country.
4 When they arrived at their camps, enrollees received two sets of blue denim work clothes. They also received a renovated army olive drab uniform for dress purposes. At first, the uniforms tended to be too large for the thin, young enrollees. Because Roosevelt believed that shoddy clothes weakened morale, he ordered a special, spruce-green dress uniform for the men. The CCC members followed a tight, military-style schedule, and began working in camps all over the United States. They earned $30 a month. They each received $5 for themselves and were required to send the rest of their earnings home to their impoverished families.
5 The men usually arrived at their camps malnourished and hungry. Otis Miller was one example. He came from a large family of sharecroppers who lived on one rabbit a day. Otis joined the CCC before he turned 16 years old. He described the men's situation as follows: "We were about 100 pounds when we arrived. It wasn't long before we gained 15 pounds apiece. You could eat a full meal there."
6 The full daily schedule emphasized on-the-job training. The goal of the training was to produce efficient, intelligent workers who might find gainful employment elsewhere after leaving the CCC. About 10 percent left that summer, but when the time came for a second enrollment, about 175,000 of the original men renewed for a second six-month term.
Impact of the Program
7 The program, sometimes known as "Roosevelt's Tree Army," ended as the nation entered World War II. The pioneering group of CCC men had helped to launch one of the most imaginative and popular government programs in American history. More than 2.6 million men had served in more than 4,500 camps across the country. The men had planted over 3 billion trees and had built over 125,000 miles of roads and trails. The forests the men planted helped to reduce erosion and provided some shelter from the winds of the Dust Bowl. The men also pioneered procedures to conserve and restore forests and agricultural lands.
8 Another remarkable accomplishment was the program's effect on the lives of young men, changing them to confident, well-prepared men who would later capably defend the United States during World War II. The trees will undoubtedly outlive their planters, but Americans should remember the young men who provided one of the few positive and colorful chapters in the drab decade of the Depression. They left a more beautiful, healthier environment and provided methods to preserve some of our nation's greatest resources.
How does the author connect the idea of the damage from the Dust Bowl to the work of the CCC?
by explaining the work the men of the CCC did to reduce erosion
by categorizing the men of the CCC as men with little forestry background
by comparing the success of the CCC to other programs during the Dust Bowl
by providing a sequence of tasks that the men of the CCC completed while building railways
1 answer