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Cold War
(1947-1991)

The Peace Corps

The Peace Corps
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 6 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.82

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    capitalist, communist, rallied, conflict, executive, happening, assignment, democratic, assistance, friendship, provided, economy, goal, market, volunteer, government
     content words:    Cold War, United States, Soviet Union, Peace Corps, John F., Peace Corp, Czech Republic, East Timor, South Africa, Peace Corp Program

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The Peace Corps
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     The Cold War was all about conflicts. The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The conflict between the East and the West. The conflict between a communist economy and a capitalist economy. The conflict between a democratic government and a communist government. However, conflict was not the only thing happening during the Cold War years.
 
2     One example was the Peace Corps, a program designed to promote cooperation between countries rather than conflict. John F. Kennedy proposed the idea of the Peace Corp when he was still a senator. In a speech to University of Michigan students, he challenged them to volunteer to work in developing countries. There, they could help people who needed help the most. Kennedy said this would also serve the cause of peace.
 
3     In 1961, Kennedy, who was now president, signed an executive order officially establishing the Peace Corps. One of its goals was to help people in countries that wanted help by sending in trained volunteers. Another goal of the Peace Corps was to promote understanding between the United States and other countries.
 
4     Peace Corps volunteers have ranged in age from their twenties to their eighties. Most are college graduates who put the skills they have learned in college to work in their Peace Corp assignment.

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