1961 : PEACE CORPS ESTABLISHED:
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order
#10924, establishing the Peace Corps as a new agency within the
Department of State. The same day, he sent a message to Congress
asking for permanent funding for the agency, which would send trained
American men and women to foreign nations to assist in development
efforts. The Peace Corps captured the imagination of the U.S. public,
and during the week after its creation thousands of letters poured
into Washington from young Americans hoping to volunteer.
The immediate precursor of the Peace Corps--the Point Four Youth
Corps--was proposed by Representative Henry Reuss of Wisconsin in the
late 1950s. Senator Kennedy learned of the Reuss proposal during his
1960 presidential campaign and, sensing growing public enthusiasm for
the idea, decided to add it to his platform. In early October 1960, he
sent a message to the Young Democrats that called for the
establishment of a "Youth Peace Corps," and on October 14 he first
publicly spoke of the Peace Corps idea at an early morning speech at
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The night before, he had
engaged Vice President Richard Nixon in the third presidential debate
and was surprised to find an estimated 10,000 students waiting up to
hear him speak when he arrived at the university at 2 a.m. The
assembled students heard the future president issue a challenge: How
many of them, he asked, would be willing to serve their country and
the cause of freedom by living and working in the developing world for
years at a time?
The Peace Corps proposal gained momentum in the final days of
Kennedy's campaign, and on November 8 he was narrowly elected the 35th
president of the United States. On January 20, 1961, in his famous
inaugural address, he promised aid to the poor of the world. "To those
peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break
the bonds of mass misery," he said, "we pledge our best efforts to
help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not
because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their
votes, but because it is right." He also appealed to Americans to "ask
not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your
country."
After March 1, thousands of young Americans answered this call to duty
by volunteering for the Peace Corps. The agency, which was headed by
Kennedy's brother-in-law, R. Sargent Shriver, eventually chose some
750 volunteers to serve in 13 nations in 1961. In August, Kennedy
hosted a White House ceremony to honor the first Peace Corps
volunteers. The 51 Americans who later landed in Accra, Ghana, for two
years of service immediately made a favorable impression on their
hosts when they gathered on the airport tarmac to sing the Ghanaian
national anthem in Twi, the local language.
On September 22, 1961, Kennedy signed congressional legislation
creating a permanent Peace Corps that would "promote world peace and
friendship" through three goals: (1) to help the peoples of interested
countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; (2) to help
promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples
served; and (3) to help promote a better understanding of other
peoples on the part of Americans.
By the end of 1963, 7,000 volunteers were in the field, serving in 44
Third World countries. In 1966, Peace Corps enrollment peaked, with
more than 15,000 volunteers in 52 countries. Budget cuts later reduced
the number of Peace Corps volunteers, but today more than 7,000 Peace
Corps volunteers are serving in over 70 countries. Since 1961, more
than 180,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 134
nations.
history.com/tdih.do
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order
#10924, establishing the Peace Corps as a new agency within the
Department of State. The same day, he sent a message to Congress
asking for permanent funding for the agency, which would send trained
American men and women to foreign nations to assist in development
efforts. The Peace Corps captured the imagination of the U.S. public,
and during the week after its creation thousands of letters poured
into Washington from young Americans hoping to volunteer.
The immediate precursor of the Peace Corps--the Point Four Youth
Corps--was proposed by Representative Henry Reuss of Wisconsin in the
late 1950s. Senator Kennedy learned of the Reuss proposal during his
1960 presidential campaign and, sensing growing public enthusiasm for
the idea, decided to add it to his platform. In early October 1960, he
sent a message to the Young Democrats that called for the
establishment of a "Youth Peace Corps," and on October 14 he first
publicly spoke of the Peace Corps idea at an early morning speech at
the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The night before, he had
engaged Vice President Richard Nixon in the third presidential debate
and was surprised to find an estimated 10,000 students waiting up to
hear him speak when he arrived at the university at 2 a.m. The
assembled students heard the future president issue a challenge: How
many of them, he asked, would be willing to serve their country and
the cause of freedom by living and working in the developing world for
years at a time?
The Peace Corps proposal gained momentum in the final days of
Kennedy's campaign, and on November 8 he was narrowly elected the 35th
president of the United States. On January 20, 1961, in his famous
inaugural address, he promised aid to the poor of the world. "To those
peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break
the bonds of mass misery," he said, "we pledge our best efforts to
help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not
because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their
votes, but because it is right." He also appealed to Americans to "ask
not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your
country."
After March 1, thousands of young Americans answered this call to duty
by volunteering for the Peace Corps. The agency, which was headed by
Kennedy's brother-in-law, R. Sargent Shriver, eventually chose some
750 volunteers to serve in 13 nations in 1961. In August, Kennedy
hosted a White House ceremony to honor the first Peace Corps
volunteers. The 51 Americans who later landed in Accra, Ghana, for two
years of service immediately made a favorable impression on their
hosts when they gathered on the airport tarmac to sing the Ghanaian
national anthem in Twi, the local language.
On September 22, 1961, Kennedy signed congressional legislation
creating a permanent Peace Corps that would "promote world peace and
friendship" through three goals: (1) to help the peoples of interested
countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; (2) to help
promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples
served; and (3) to help promote a better understanding of other
peoples on the part of Americans.
By the end of 1963, 7,000 volunteers were in the field, serving in 44
Third World countries. In 1966, Peace Corps enrollment peaked, with
more than 15,000 volunteers in 52 countries. Budget cuts later reduced
the number of Peace Corps volunteers, but today more than 7,000 Peace
Corps volunteers are serving in over 70 countries. Since 1961, more
than 180,000 Americans have joined the Peace Corps, serving in 134
nations.
history.com/tdih.do
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