Peace Corps Launches: Kennedy's Global Volunteer Force
President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924 on March 1, 1961, creating the Peace Corps as a volunteer organization that would send young Americans to developing countries for two-year service assignments. The idea had been floated during the 1960 presidential campaign when Kennedy challenged University of Michigan students to serve their country abroad. Over 10,000 people applied within the first month. Sargent Shriver, Kennedy's brother-in-law, was appointed the first director and built the organization from scratch in weeks. The first volunteers went to Ghana and Tanzania in August 1961. The program served a dual purpose: genuine development assistance and Cold War soft power. By sending idealistic Americans to live in villages across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the Peace Corps countered Soviet propaganda about American materialism while building personal relationships that no diplomatic cable could replicate. Over 240,000 Americans have served in 142 countries since its founding.
March 1, 1961
65 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on March 1
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