Bonus Army camped on the Capitol Lawn
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Bonus Army Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about the Bonus
Army.
What was the Bonus Army? The Bonus Army
was a massive group of WW1 military veterans
who, during the Great Depression, made their
way to Washington D.C. and set up makeshift
camps on areas such as the Anacostia Flats.
What did the Bonus Army want? The Bonus
Army wanted Congress to pass the Patman Bill
authorizing early payment of the veterans’
bonuses that were granted to military
veterans after WW1
Who made up the Bonus Army?
The Bonus Army was made up of WW1 Veterans
and their families including women and
children. The camps were racially integrated
and included homeless and unemployed people
from all walks of life. They were a mixture
of Democrats, Republicans, socialists and
communists.
What happened to the Bonus Army?
The senate failed to pass the Patman Bill
and the Bonus Army was evicted from their
camps and disused buildings by the heavy
handed treatment of the US Army under
Douglas MacArthur. Over 1000 people suffered
from tear gas inhalation, there were over
100 injuries and 4 people died. The camps
were burned to the ground.
Bonus
Army
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Bonus Army
Marchers.
Facts about
the Bonus Army Marchers for kids
Bonus Army Fact 1:
The 1924 Bonus Act (World War
Adjusted Compensation Act) was passed on May 19, 1924.
The Bonus Act granted a benefit to veterans of American
military service in World War I that would be paid in
1945..
Bonus Army Fact
2: The Bonus Act promised at bonus
of $1.25 for each day served overseas, $1.00 for each
day they had served in the United States and given
service certificates.
Bonus Army Fact 3:
Beginning in 1927, veterans were allowed to use
the service certificates as collateral for loans. By June 30, 1932,
more than 2.5 million veterans had borrowed $1.369 billion.
Bonus Army Fact 4:
In 1931 Democrat Texas congressman
Wright Patman had introduced a bill in the House of
Representatives that authorized early payment of the
veterans’ bonuses. The bill later passed the House and
moved on to the Senate.
Bonus Army Fact 5:
The Great Depression had
resulted in bankruptcies, wage cuts and mass unemployment. There
were protests and civil unrest sparking a series of Hunger Marches.
On December 5, 1932 (coinciding with the opening of Congress) nearly
2000 WW1 veterans, organized by the American Communist Party,
marched to Capitol Hill in Washington chanting "Feed the hungry, Tax
the rich".
Bonus Army Fact 6:
By 1932 desperate, hungry, unemployed
veterans wanted the money for their bonuses immediately.
They couldn't wait until 1945 and wanted Congress to
pass the Patman Bill. They were war heroes and they
believed their call for early payment was reasonable.
Bonus Army Fact 7:
In May 1932 several hundred veterans
in Portland, Oregon, decided to march to Washington to
lobby Congress ( who were considering the Patman Bill)
to pass the legislation. Walter Waters, a former Army
sergeant from Oregon was the leader of the Bonus Army.
The veterans were joined by thousands of others.
Bonus Army Fact
8: The Bonus Army made their way to
Washington any way they could, many on top of boxcars or
on freight trains. Some veterans wore they WW1 military
uniforms which became increasingly shabby as their
journey progressed. Other veterans were accompanied by
their families who had been made homeless as a result of
the Great Depression.
Continued...
Facts about
the Bonus Army Marchers for kids
Facts
about the Bonus Army for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Bonus Army Marchers for kids.
Facts about
the Bonus Army Marchers for kids
Bonus Army Fact
9: The Bonus Army swelled in number,
reaching 40,000. The protestors called themselves the
Bonus Expeditionary Force, but the public dubbed them
the "Bonus Army."
Bonus Army Fact 10:
The Bonus Army made camps using tents or whatever
materials were available to them. They were well organized and dug
latrines, and conveyed to the government their intention to stay
until they received their bonuses. Walter Waters forbade drinking,
panhandling, anti-government or ‘radical’ talk.
Bonus Army Fact
11: The biggest of the makeshift camps
was at Anacostia Flats, ironically an area that had
formerly been used as an army recruiting centre. The
camps were racially integrated and consisted of men,
women and children.
Bonus Army Fact 12:
As the crowd swelled the government made an
attempt to reduce the marchers. An Administration bill was passed on
July 8th offering to pay the transportation cost of any veteran
wanting to return home (the amount of the fare to be deducted from
his total bonus). Some took the offer up, but most remained.
Bonus Army Fact
13: On July 17th the Patman bill was
defeated in the Senate. The disappointed military
veterans and their families were sorely disappointed but
their reaction was a peaceful one.
Bonus Army Fact 14:
Many defeated veterans left Washington but
others, with no where else to go, stayed in Washington living in
unoccupied buildings and their makeshift camps.
Bonus Army Fact
15: Congress adjourned
for the summer and President Hoover, the Administration
and District officials could see no reason for the
marchers to remain in the city.
There was a belief
that the Bonus Army March was part of a Communist
conspiracy fueled by memories of the
Red Scare during the early 1920s.
The picture depicts police coming
into conflict with Bonus Army marchers.
Bonus Army Fact
16: The government decided to call in the
army to remove the veterans. The US Army, under Douglas MacArthur, used extreme and violent tactics to remove
the veterans who were threatened with bayonets and tear
gas. Tanks were used to burn the protestors off the
Anacostia Flats. More than 1000 people suffered from
tear gas inhalation.
Bonus Army Fact 17:
The eviction of the Bonus Army Marchers shocked
the nation irrevocably destroying the reputation of President
Herbert Hoover. It was a disaster in Public Relations for the
Republican administration.
Bonus Army Fact
18: Not surprisingly Hoover failed to
retain the presidency and in 1933 the Democrat, Franklin
D. Roosevelt, was inaugurated as the new US president.
Bonus Army Fact 19:
In January 1936, the Adjusted Compensation
Payment Act replaced the 1924 Act's service certificates with bonds
issued by the Treasury Department that could be redeemed at any
time.
Bonus Army Fact 20:
The Great Depression dragged on until the outbreak
of World War 2. Following WW2 the mistakes of the WW1 were addressed
by the passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The law
became popularly known as the "GI Bill of
Rights"
Facts about
the Bonus Army Marchers for kids
Facts
about
the Bonus Army March
For visitors interested in the history of
the Great Depression refer to the following articles:
Bonus Army March - President Herbert Hoover Video
The article on the
Bonus Army provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Herbert Hoover video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 31st American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933.
Bonus Army March
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Interesting Facts about Bonus Army for kids and schools
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Summary of the Bonus Army, march and marchers in US history
●
The Bonus Army, a major
event in US history
●
Herbert Hoover from March 4, 1929 to March 4, 1933
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Fast, fun facts about the Bonus Army marchers
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Herbert Hoover
● Herbert Hoover Presidency and
Bonus Army Marchers for schools,
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