Picture courtesy of NPR
Successes & Failures
Picture courtesy of Offbeat Oregon
The Bonus Army got their payments in 1936, nine years early. But their actions had successes, failures, and consequences.
“If you have a grievance, take it to Washington, and if you want to be heard, take a lot of people with you.”
~Dickson & Allen
Picture courtesy of The Democrat-American
Political Fallout
Because of the public awareness of the actions of President Hoover during the first Bonus Army march, President Hoover was politically damaged and failed to get reelected. Franklin Roosevelt was elected as president in 1933.
Picture courtesy of Our Documents
1944 GI Bill
Because of the debate the Bonus Army raised, the country realized it had to do something for its veterans. In 1944 Congress passed the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, more commonly known as the GI Bill, which gave returning soldiers job training, educational benefits and housing loans. Never again would the United States soldiers face what soldiers returning from World War I faced.
Picture courtesy of WHYY
Debating through Protest
The march of the Bonus Army was one of the first big gatherings as protests in Washington DC. Other groups followed. Dr. Martin Luther King studied the Bonus Army March for inspiration for the Poor People's Campaign (pictured above) in 1968.
