The Bonus Army
- 20000 WW1 veterans marched on Washington DC demanded early payment of the wartime bonus
- Many veterans struggled in the late 1920s and were hit hard during the early years of the Great Depression
- After a bill to approve early payment failed to pass the Senate, the veterans refused to leave.
- Seen as a Communist Plot
The Forced Removal of the Bonus Army
- President hoover ordered the military to evict the Bonus Army marchers
- Footage disturbs the American people
- Tanks were used
- The US Veterans administration would determine that some 95 percent of the marchers were veterans and their families
- The Bonus Army got their bonus in 1936 after Congress overrode FDR’s veto.
- After WWII the GI Bill was enacted to support veterans returning from war .