DAY IN HISTORY-MAR 1, 1961

Peace Corps Established

President Kennedy signs Executive Order creating volunteer force

President John F. Kennedy greets Peace Corps volunteers on the South Lawn of the White House on August 9, 1962. Photo by Abbie Rowe, World Digital Library, LIbrary of Congress. No restrictions on use.

During his historic campaign for the presidency of the United States, John F. Kennedy arrived at the University of Michigan at 2 a.m. on October 14, 1960, stunned to find 10,000 cheering students awaiting him.

Kennedy’s improvised speech included the questions: “How many of you, who are going to be doctors, are willing to spend your days in Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world?”

The response to his call to action was so enthusiastic that Kennedy decided to aggressively pursue the idea after he was elected in November 1960. As President, he signed an Executive Order on March 1, 1961 that established the Peace Corps — a volunteer force of Americans who were to serve in other countries, helping to spread global peace and democracy.

Kennedy enlisted his brother-in-law, R. Sargent Shriver, to be the first director of the Peace Corps. Burma, Ghana and India were the initial countries to express strong interest in hosting Peace Corps volunteers. It became a requirement that countries needed to formally invite the Peace Corps to assist their citizens and…