“To those people in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required,” (Kennedy 2), John F. Kennedy told an inspired crowd and an ambitious nation during his inaugural address on January 20, 1961. The origins for his plan to establish a program to assist developing countries originated about 4 months earlier during an early morning speech at the University of Michigan, where, at 2 a.m., he challenged the students to “contribute part of [there] life to this country”(Kennedy 1). His speech received a thunderous response and within weeks a petition in support of the idea had been gathered with over a thousand signatures. The Peace Corps was officially established by Executive Order 10924 on March 1, 1961. The Peace Corps proved to be a program consisting of devoted individuals serving their countries to fight against poverty and aiding the men, women and children fighting to survive in their impoverished living conditions. John F. Kennedy was motivated to establish the Peace Corps to assist the people in less developed countries, provide disaster relief, and to develop relations with other countries.
Throughout its years of activity, the Peace Corps has provided indisputable support to developing countries worldwide. Volunteers work in schools, on farms, and in the community to teach much-needed skills in the areas of technology, environment, agriculture, education, and more. Over twenty-thousand volunteers were sent to Latin America within the first three decades of the programs formation. There, they focused on community development and helping the poor people solve local problems. Although budget cuts re...
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Schlam, Lawrence. "Peace Corps Act of 1961." Major Acts of Congress. Ed. Brian K. Landsberg. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 121-124. U.S. History in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
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The Cold War was a period of dark and melancholic times when the entire world lived in fear that the boiling pot may spill. The protectionist measures taken by Eisenhower kept the communists in check to suspend the progression of USSR’s radical ambitions and programs. From the suspenseful delirium from the Cold War, the United States often engaged in a dangerous policy of brinksmanship through the mid-1950s. Fortunately, these actions did not lead to a global nuclear disaster as both the US and USSR fully understood what the weapons of mass destruction were capable of.
Naden, Corinne J., and Rose Blue. "United Nations." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch. Vol. 3: 1901-1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 187-188. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
During the late 1940's and the 1950's, the Cold War became increasingly tense. Each side accused the other of wanting to rule the world (Walker 388). Each side believed its political and economic systems were better than the other's. Each strengthened its armed forces. Both sides viewed the Cold War as a dispute between right and wron...
As the President elect of the United States in 1960, John F. Kennedy aspired, to accomplish much during his presidency. Kennedy confidently called his initiatives “The New Frontier” taking on numerous major challenges. Some of the challenges were boosting the United States economy by ending a recession and promoting growth in the economy, aiding third world countries by establishing the Peace Corps sending men and women overseas to assist developing countries in meeting their own necessities. Additional challenges were too built-up the United States National Defense and furthered the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) programs. Kennedy had designed an ambitious legislative agenda for the preceding years of his term. Tragically, John F. Kennedy, himself did not live to see the majority of his New Frontier enacted. However, with the enactment in 1964-1966, of Kennedy’s agenda during his final year, he acquired the respect, as a liberal force for change, following his death (U.S. Department of State, n.d.).
Gaddis, John Lewis. “We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History.” Taking Sides: Clashing Views On Controversial Issues in United States History. Ed. Larry Madaras and James M. SoRelle. 14th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. 302-308.
Gregory, Ross. Cold War America: 1946 to 1990. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2003.
Probably one of the most recognized events of the 1980’s is the collapse of communism but first it is important to look at events that leading up to this collapse to provide a better context of events post collapse. One very significant period of time was the mid 1980’s when it seemed all eyes were on Africa in its entirety. The release of the song “We are the World” in 1985, the “Break the Chains” campaign of 1987, and the focus on the influential figure, Desmond Tutu, during 1986 are all examples of how the United States and other countries were focused on providing aid to africa. In her book, Enlightened Aid: U.S. Development as Foreign Policy in Ethiopia, Amanda McVety explains this aid and how United Sates foreign aid was a cold war project, “It offered a Cold War weapon that was not a weapon and promised peace through peaceful me... ...
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Kim, in the United States, grades are not the only factor in evaluating school applicants and job candidates. From Rhodes Scholar selections to college applications, excellence in other areas such as leadership, volunteer activities, sports and arts is equally important (p82-90). In American schools, students are encouraged to do volunteer work. So much so that many schools have guidelines for how much time students are expected to spend serving in the community. Children learn the value of giving from an early age. Volunteer activities is one way Americans feel a part of things and share the goal of serving and contributing to build their communities. From neighborhood watch programs to environmental issues, Americans do not wait for the government to initiate action: they take action to bring about the changes they desire. Therefore, Americans view volunteer work as a way to teach children and young adults values such as cooperation and teamwork, dedication and work ethics, equality and social justice, leadership, generosity and compassion for
Ivan Illich 's speech wrote in a sarcastic way to critic about United State student, who volunteer overseas, in specific, Latin America. His discussed student’s good intention to help other but them actually not helping at all. They will be feeling powerlessness and the voluntary presence of receivers. The problems are students with less knowledge about the culture of the country they are volunteers in; they do not even understand the language, and too naïve with the thought that they come volunteer for several weeks or months will fix the problem that the village have. One of Ivan Illich example is students tried to help the poor in Mexico to help themselves. However, Unite States have the same problem with poverty, but the student from United
Following the ‘bad’ press audience that Peace Corps received after their inability to properly respond to Kate’s case, researchers reveal that the company is not getting much support from the Obama Administration. Although poll records show that those in approval for Obama’s handling of foreign policy are just about 38%, many are hopeful that he will be more supportive of Peace Corps in the near future. Some however speculate that Peace Corps is soon becoming defaced owing to the bad publicity it received after the murder and sexual offences of volunteers.
Shriver was asked by President Kennedy to lead the organization and he reluctantly agreed to do so. On Shriver’s first trip abroad as a director, he received invitations from leaders in India, Ghana, and Burma to send Peace Corp volunteers into their country. The first countries to participate with the organization were Tanganyika and Ghana. The Peace Corp was approved as a permanent federal agency within the state department by congress. Kennedy signed the legislation on September 22, 1961 and the Peace Corp was made an independent
Joyce, James Avery. Red Cross International and the Strategy of Peace. New York: Oceana Publications, Inc., 1959.
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...