The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order (10924) of President John F. Kennedy and authorized by Congress the following September by the Peace Corps Act.
John F. Kennedy greets volunteers on August 28, 1961
The former Peace Corps headquarters at 1111 20th Street, NW in downtown Washington, D.C.
Executive Order 10924
Peace Corps trainees swearing in as volunteers in Madagascar, April 26, 2006.
Independent agencies of the United States government
In the United States government, independent agencies are agencies that exist outside the federal executive departments and the Executive Office of the President. In a narrower sense, the term refers only to those independent agencies that, while considered part of the executive branch, have regulatory or rulemaking authority and are insulated from presidential control, usually because the president's power to dismiss the agency head or a member is limited.
The headquarters of the Federal Reserve System
A USPS truck in the snow