Race in the Civilian Conservation Corps, Essay Example

The video The Civilian Conservation Corps for the American Experience is a documentary exploring the experience of four men who participated in the Civilian Conservation Corps. They learned as much about themselves as they did about life. The primary texts Walden and The Late Convention of Colored Men both exert two aspects of the CCC and the video: equality and environmentalism. The film and these texts have similar goals, and in many way influenced the film indirectly. These documents enforced and reflect changing attitudes toward how the people, and therefore the government, should treat its people and its environment: equally.

Historical Context

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a temporary government public work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942. It offered employment to unmarried men from “relief” parts of the United States, ages 17-23. This was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program. The program was never meant to be permanent, and in 1942, due to many of the men going to fight in WWII and the booming of the war industry, the CCC was closed down. At the time, there was great racial tension in the United States. Many young men had grandfathers who fought in the civil war, and many had resentment towards blacks and other races. Racism, at least on the pay and forma level, was quite equal amongst races. Everyone received the same allowance. All in all the CCC was very progressive and minorities, for the most part, were given an equal pay and opportunity to work.

African-Americans

Over 200,000 African-American Men participated in the CCC during its active years. The CCC was a groundbreaking program in regards to civil rights for a number of reasons. First, it was one of the first programs to offer equal pay to minorities. Second, It allowed black leaders to lobby for leadership roles, giving them the opportunity to advance in society. Third, it integrated whites and blacks. Although it was eventually segregated in 1935, the time these men spent integrated together allowed them to see that people of different colors really are not that different from everyone else.

Native Americans in the CCC

The film neglects to mention the separate Native American division of the CCC.

The Native American Indian had a completely separate division from other CCC camps. Initially left out of the CCC, reservation Indians were allowed to stay at their homes, and work on projects relevant to their community. A total of approximately 85,000 Native Americans were enrolled in the CCC, 24,000 of which would go on to fight in WWII.

The Film The Civilian Conservation Corps

The film interviews five people, first four of which were CCC participants: Clifford Hammond, who ran Cliff’s amusement park for over 50 years, Harley Jolley, a history professor and author of two books, Houston Pritchett, who worked on the Ford Motor Company’s production line for 31 years, and Vincente Ximenes, who had a “career in government,”(Stone 2009) and Jonathon Alter, a writer (Stone 2009). The movie is almost completely anecdotal, and the audience is to presume that everything the men say is fact. The film takes the perspective of each man’s life before, during, and after their time at the CCC. Jonathon Alter makes a few appearances to give context and to elaborate or comment on the statements made by each man. Alter often states more of the hard statistical facts, although each man tells compelling anecdotal and empirical evidence.

The story being told by the film was four different stories told by four men with different backgrounds. There is no one narrator, each one takes intermittent turns at describing events. The film does not use many primary documents, and instead relies on the experiences of the men and the expertise of Alter. There is a variety of footage of the CCC participants taking part in their daily routine, some speeches by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and even a short clip featuring John Wayne from Three Faces West. There is a light and inspiring background music that plays throughout the video, invoking a positive and nostalgic emotions.

The memories portrayed in the video are the four men who lived it: Clifford, Jolley, Pritchett, and Ximenes. The music was used as complimentary, but also as a transition between scenes. The audience was most definitely intended to sympathize with these men and the CCC, which may have ulterior political motives. The sound track enhanced the viewing of the film. There was many times when there was no dialogue, and just an old video with music in the background. The video showed mainly the participants being happy, and so it was very effective at creative a nostalgic feel to the videos. There were really no counter-points to the video’s message, which was not only pro CCC, but pro government involvement in the economy. To the writer/director/ producer Robert Stone’s credit, he made a very persuasive video. The emotional appeal of the four men was tremendous, and showing that all four men led successful lives, (implied that it was due to the CCC) really drove that point home.

Overall the movie is very unique in that it gives the experience of going through the CCC through four different sets of eyes. From a narrative standpoint, the film flows very well, and this is a considerably difficult thing to achieve since there are five narrators in the story.

Race in The Civilian Conservation Corps

Race seems to be a minor theme at most, with each man’s story occasionally overlapping with race or discrimination. The film seemed to focus more on the similarities of the men involved in the CCC. It was stated that if two men had a problem, they could slug it out in a “grudge ring,” where the dispute would stay (Stone 2009).

The camps themselves were rarely, if ever, a scene for conflict. More often, the problems arose out of the CCC members with the local townspeople. Ximenes, who is Mexican, reflected on his experiences, “you had to be careful where you went to get a hamburger.” The conflicts were very inflammatory, and he recalls a time when he and his friends lost control, “he said ‘I’m sorry we don’t serve Mexicans’ Ximenes then claimed he and his friends, “tore the place apart” and that these type of incidents happened “multiple times.” (Stone 2009).

In a different approach to racism, Pritchett, who is African-American, stated, “There was racism, but you just had to deal with it.” However Pritchett had a very proud and determined attitude, and was thankful for the program because it “gave us a chance” to prove themselves. He also pointed out that it was humbling for white people because there “was more of them then us” (Stone 2009). This must had been a moment of clarity for black and white men in the camps, who had the opportunity to see that misfortune could fall on all types of people.

Despite conflict with the locals there began to spur something resembling the civil rights movement, or at least a sense of understanding between people of different races. In one of the most touching moments of the film, Clifford Hammond tells of his experience in regards to people of different culture, “(The CCC) brought a lot of people together… I used to think I was better than a Mexican, because there was no Mexicans in Illinois… you realize that they’re just like everybody else” (Stone).

Primary Texts

There are two primary texts that are extremely pertinent to race in the CCC. Walden was a story written by Henry David Thoreau. Not only does this work embody a sense of togetherness and equality, but is one of the most famous nature poems ever written. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not , when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Shi and Mayer 2010).

The Civilian Conservation Corps has at its heart, an environmental message. First, the viewer gets glimpses of the carnage the American farmers inflicted on the land. Jolley comments, “I remember the time growing up in North Carolina, looking up and watching Kansas blow by, the dustbowl reaching North Carolina…I can remember playing in gullies two stories high” (Stone 2009). This shows the sorry state the environment at the time. The men express their growing love for the environment as the video goes on. Jolley states, “an environment that was pleasant to experience, providing an enjoyable change of pace from the city, come up and into the mountain country and see nature on all sides, have a picnic and enjoy the beauty of our country” (Stone 2009). Thoreau’s writing had no doubt a last impact for generations, as his material is still studied today. Thoreau and other naturalists started what came to be environmentalism, and the men of the CCC were the pioneers of government involvement. As Jolley states, “The word ‘environmental’ wasn’t there at the time, basically, but the situation was. And it was a critical situation” (Stone 2009).

The second text that was pertinent to this video was The Late Convention of Colored Men. This text relates to the video because like Pritchett, an unnamed appeals to the federal government for a chance for the recently freed slaves to prove themselves. He writes, “In one word, the only salvation for us besides the power of the Government, is in the possession of the ballot. Give us this, and we will protect ourselves” (Shi and Mayer 2010). Here, much like Pritchett, he is not asking for a hand out, only the opportunity to prove himself as a human being. Lacking capital, education, and freedom, this was the sentiment among many freed slaves. Their plight would not be fully recognized for almost a century later, but the CCC showed signs of progress, offering African-Americans equal pay and opportunity.

What is important to understand about both of these texts is that both of these ideas would become realized in the 20th century, partially through the formation of the CCC. The CCC offered equal employment to African Americans, one of the first institutions ever to do so in American history. Also, The CCC was one of the first ever government funded conservation agencies formed by the United States. Love and appreciation appreciation of nature, as well as the principle of equal opportunity are both present in the CCC.

Conclusion

All in all, the film contains elements present in both Walden and The Late Convention of the Colored Men. The film was craftily made, with excellent interviewees. The only critique is the exclusion of Native Americans, who played a vital role in the CCC. These texts help start what this film represents today: equality, both for American citizens and the environment.

References

Stone, R. (Writer), & Stone, R. (Director). (2009). The Civilian Conservation Corps [Television Series Episode]. Stone, R. (Producer), The American Experience. Los Angeles, CA : Belarus Studios.

Shi, D. E., Mayer, H. A. (2010). For the Record: A Documentary History of America.(v.1)(pp. 315. 459). Norton: New York .