Poverty

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME:
​​​​​​​The Civilian Conservation Corps

POVERTY

("Young Boy Living in a Hooverville" thevintagenews.com)

Young men were some of the hardest hit by poverty during the Great Depression. Thirteen million people had lost jobs. For every worker, there were an additional three people at home. This meant 42 percent of the entire US population was without income. Incomes for those still working were cut on average by 40 percent. Young men could not start a future under this kind of nationwide poverty.

"According to data compiled by the Corps in 1937, the typical enrollee had been jobless for nearly seven months prior to joining the CCC."  (Maher 92)

(wpafilmlibrary.com)

("The Civilian Conservation Corps, Season 1, Ep. 2" 00:37:41)

To help young men overcome the barrier of poverty, CCC enrollees received $30/month for their work in the nation's parks and forests. Enrollees kept $5, and $25 was sent home to support the enrollee's family. Over the CCC's existence, this money benefited 10 percent of the US population directly and many others indirectly.

"The money sent home was part of Roosevelt’s plan to improve not just the lives of the men working but also those of their families.  In the 1930s, young boys in high school were still often expected to earn money with which to support their families, so Roosevelt’s plan merely codified something that was already a cultural norm."  (Charles Rivers 17)

(Cohen 7)

In addition to monthly pay, enrollees received shelter, clothing, food, healthcare, training, and education.  

"I joined the CC’s in September of 1934.  I was 18 when I went in.  And they took them up to 25.  I liked it mainly because that was the only time in my life I ever had two pairs of shoes. You had your medical and three squares a day. And you only worked about six hours a day. I had been accustomed to working 12, 14 hours a day on the farm. I thought I really had it made."  (Clifford Hammond qtd. in Charles Rivers 10)​​​​​​​

("CCC Boys Trying on Shoes" britannica.com)

("This Boy Met All the Necessary Requirements and Seems Happy He Has Been Accepted as an Enrollee" The CCC at Work 22)

("CCC Men inside the Barracks" lib.uidaho.edu)

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