Founding Documents of the Peace Corps
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- Original Source:EDSITEment
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This lesson relates to the power of Congress to make laws (Article I, Sections 7 , 8 , and 9 ) and the powers of the chief executive to make appointments and execute the laws Article II, Sections 2 and 3 ). The founding of the Peace Corps is one of President John F. Kennedy's most enduring legacies. Yet it got its start in a fortuitous and unexpected moment. Kennedy, arriving late to speak to students at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960, found himself thronged by a crowd of 10,000 students at 2 o'clock in the morning. Speaking extemporaneously, the presidential candidate challenged American youth to devote a part of their lives to living and working in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Would students back his effort to form a Peace Corps? Their response was immediate: within weeks students organized a petition drive and gathered 1,000 signatures in support of the idea. Several hundred others pledged to serve. Enthusiastic letters poured into Democratic headquarters. This response was crucial to Kennedy's decision to make the founding of a Peace Corps a priority. Less
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Topics and Grades
Grade: 8 to 12
Topics: History-Social Science, American Democracy, English-Language Arts, United States History, Writing Strategies
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- Source Materials
Tool for: Administrators, Students, Parents, Teachers
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Instructional Strategy
Grouping: Small Group Instruction; Heterogeneous; Large Group Instruction