The origins of the idea for the Peace Corps are numerous and occurred well before the Kennedy era, but the founding of the Peace Corps is one of President John Kennedy's most enduring legacies. Since the Peace Corps founding in 1961 more than 150,000 citizens of all ages and backgrounds have worked in more than 130 countries throughout the world as volunteers in such fields as health, teaching, agriculture, urban planning, skilled trades, forestry, sanitation, and technology. To allay fears that the Peace Corps would harbor secret agendas or become a tool of the CIA, volunteers are sent only to countries that request their services. Today, any citizen at least 18 years old and in good health can apply. This lesson relates to the power of Congress to make laws (Article I, Sections 7, 8, and 9) and the powers of the chief executive to make appointments and execute the laws (Article II, Sections 2 and 3). As primary source documents the lesson offers Executive Order 10924 in which President Kennedy established the Peace Corps, two photographs of President Kennedy greeting Peace Corps volunteers, and Public Law 87-293 that established the Peace Corps as an independent agency. The lesson correlates to the National History Standards and the National Standards for Civics and Government. It provides historical background (with nine resources); and suggests diverse teaching activities, including an introductory exercise, document analysis, reenact the past, creative writing, investigate and compare, evaluate the historical record, and establish a service organization. (BT)