Even before the creation of the Peace Corps, many influential Senators and Representatives had the idea of an "Army of Peace". American Philosopher, William James first suggested the idea of an army to work for peace in 1904. That idea was not put into consideration by the United States government, but it eventually led up to the creation of international work camps. When World War II ended in 1945, numerous private groups set up work camps around the world to improve conditions in those areas. Other private groups sent young, skilled Americans to share their skills in other countries. This example led Senator Richard L. Neuberger of Oregon and Congressman Henry S. Reuss of Wisconsin to propose the idea of a youth corps progra

With the creation of the Peace Corps in 1961, American volunteers began to serve underprivileged communities in third world countries. The Peace Corps is a federally funded, volunteer program that sends Americans overseas to serve in needy countries ("Peace Corps", World Book 1). Peace Corps volunteers work to promote world peace and friendship with the countries served by performing social and humanitarian services ("Peace Corps", Encarta 1). The main goals of the Corps are (1) to help the underprivileged obtain daily necessities by meeting their need for trained personnel, (2) to promote world peace by increasing the understanding between the countries served and the US, (3) to increase the understanding between Americans and the countries served ("Peace Corps", Encyclopedia Americana 1, "Peace Corps", World Book 1).

Volunteers of the Corps, citizens of the communities they serve, and the United States have all been positively affected by the Peace Corps. The benefits of the Peace Corps are not always noticed immediately, but will last for a lifetime ("Professional/ Career Benefits", Peace Corps 1). Thousands of Americans who served in the Corps now have careers in public service and overseas development. In the early 1980's there were 150 past volunteers who were serving as congressional staff assistants ("Peace Corps", Encyclopedia Americana 2). The effect of the Corps is seen in Encyclopedia Americana. It says "Studies show that about 10% of new foreign service officers each year are former volunteers. At USAID (US Agency for International Development) the figure is 12.5% and the USAID administrator in the Reagan years was himself a returned volunteer" ("Peace Corps" Encyclopedia Americana 2). The Peace Corps Fellows/USA program arranges for returned volunteers to apply for scholarships for master's degree programs ("Peace Corps", Encarta 2). A growing number of returned volunteers work on joint projects with the Peace Corps ("Peace Corps", Encyclopedia Americana 2). Since volunteers are placed into a totally different culture, they learn to adapt quickly to different living conditions ("Peace Corps", World Book 1). Immediately after the volunteer arrives in their host country, they are given intensive language instruction. This instruction helps to make volunteers fluent in more than one language ("Professional/Career Benefits", Peace Corps 1).

By the early 1990's, Peace Corps volunteers were serving in more than 100 countries throughout Latin America, the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, Central Europe and Eastern Europe, and the Pacific ("Peace Corps", Encarta 1). Since the start of the Peace Corps program, over 100,000 Americans have enrolled in the Corps ("Peace Corps", Encyclopedia Americana 1). The Peace Corps volunteers, the citizens they serve, and many more are a

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Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)