The New Deal represented an unprecedented expansion of the federal government into new realms, including educational initiatives through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the National Youth Administration (NYA). Both programs, attempting to alleviate the "youth problem" of massive youth unemployment, took young people into the outdoors, often in camp settings, to work and learn basic vocational and citizenship skills. As the publicly popular programs faded as the United States entered World War II, many teachers and educational leadership, particularly in Michigan, took the opportunity to run the schools' answer to the CCC, but with educators in charge. This study is a historical analysis of the school camping movement in Michigan from 1930-1980, and explores how camps acted as an arena for larger discussions about democracy, health, leisure, conservation, and work. Looking at the curricular and moral goals, and philanthropic support of school camps, the study situates how contextual factors intersected to influence larger national arguments over the role of democracy, citizenship, and health in public schools. In particular, the study questions how the state of Michigan was able to situate itself as a national leader in the school camping movement, what the role of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation was in supporting the movement, and how the movement was used to practice democracy in the outdoors and teach certain conceptions of the American way of life. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]