Chapter II 
THE PURPOSES, NATURE AND OPPORTUNITIES 
OF THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS 
Purposes 
The Civilian Conservation Corps is a program of work, exper¬ 
ience and training for young menJ=/ The CCC law states: 
,f .there is hereby established the Civilian Conservation 
Corps, hereinafter called the Corps, for the purpose of pro¬ 
viding employment as well as vocational training for youthful 
citizens of the United States who are unemployed and in need 
of employment,• ••• .through the performance of useful public 
work in connection with the conservation and development of 
the natural resources of the United States, its territories 
and insular possessions.... 
The projects which engage CCC youths from every State in the 
country represent some of the most important undertakings of the Federal 
Government. Their justification is clear-cut and farsighted. It is to 
save the natural resources of the United States and to develop them both 
for the benefit of this generation and for future generations; it is to 
reduce the hazards of floods and forest fires which yearly destroy life 
and property in many sections of the country; it is to demonstrate to 
farmers how to retain the top soil of the land so that it will not be 
washed down rivers or blown away - these examples are typical of the 
conservation purposes of the Corps. 
National Defense 
New emphasis has been added in the year 1940 to the purposes 
of developing and conserving our human and natural resources. The ex¬ 
panded program for national defense gave rise to a discussion of the 
proper function of the Civilian Conservation Corps in aiding the nation 
to supply its various defense needs. Decision on this matter was reached 
by Congress with the enactment on June 26, 1940, of Public Resolution - 
No. 88 - 76th Congress, which contained the following section: 
"Sec. 38. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, 
the President is authorized, in his discretion, and under 
such regulations as he may prescribe, to provide within the 
27 Approximately 10% of the enrolled members of the Civilian Conser¬ 
vation Corps are war veterans. These men are, of course, older 
than the "junior enrollees" and are housed in separate camps. 
Yftiile the work projects are similar, the program of training is 
quite different. The enrollment of these men does not alter the 
fact that the Corps is essentially a program for young men. 
- 5 - 
