Bonus Army Research Paper

Frequent deployments and changing times created a distraction in the Professional aspect of the Army. The distraction created a deficiency in maintaining the highest standards of the Profession of Arms. In an effort to refine their understanding of the Army Profession, the Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff directed that a review of the Army Profession be conducted, thus the creation of the Profession of Arms Campaign.

America spends over 650 billion dollars a year on having the most technologically advanced military in the world. Much of this money comes straight from U.S. taxpayer dollars. But there is one major problem in our military; the number of troops enlisting is dropping from previous years. With terrorist groups like ISIS, this is a bad time for numbers of soldiers to drop. The country needs more soldiers to keep freedom, and remain the powerhouse of the world. Without troops, our country might not be what it should be.

In 1924, after the war, congress gave veterans of World War I certificates valid in 1945 for $1000 each. During the Great Depression, many of the service men had lost their jobs so they decided asked congress to redeem the bonus certificates early, in 1932 (11). The “Bonus Army” was formed and led by an Oregon man named Walter Waters (11). The army now contained 15,000 veterans who hitched rides, hopped trains and hiked into the Capital (11). President Hoover refused to acknowledge the veterans but Congress argued over whether or not to give into the requests (11). On June 17, the Senate declined the demands and many of the people in the Bonus Army returned home, but thousands of them had nowhere to go. Therefore, they stayed in Washington,

Some of the farmers harassed bank agents who were sent to foreclose their homes. Another thing that the farmers in the Farm Holiday Association did was dump their farming goods (Farless). Another protest that emerged was the Veterans’ Bonus Army. “The Veterans’ Bonus Army clash in 1932 proved to be the most damaging for Hoover” (Farless). The Veterans’ Bonus Army consisted of 15,000 World War I veterans who traveled to Washington D.C. to demand their early payment of their 1945 planned bonus (Farless). President Herbert Hoover believed that they were anarchists, so he called in troops to break up the army (Farless). This incident was captured on film and it changed President Herbert Hoover’s popularity for the worst (Farless). After the decrease of President Herbert Hoover’s popularity, someone else became the public’s favorite – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The march of the Bonus Army was a group of World War I veterans and their families who travelled to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1932. They came from all over the nation to seek economic relief from the federal government. The veterans wanted to receive money that was promised for their services in the first world war and to redeem their service certificates ahead of schedule. The Great Depression was at its height and it was a difficult time to live. Many of the veterans were poor due to a shortage of jobs. Unemployment was at 25% and everyone that went to Washington, D.C. camped out in a self-made “Hooverville”. The government tried to get them to leave, but it was not facile. They were not leaving without a fight.

Waters, a former army sergeant, the Bonus Expeditionary Force, also known to the public as the “Bonus Army”, marched in Washington D.C. , hoping to get their point across. At the beginning it looked like they would succeed, because they got the House of Representatives to vote in their favor. Unfortunately President Hoover and Congress did not feel the same way as the House of Representatives and did not approve of the Act. After Congress made their decision they wanted everyone from the “Bonus Army” to go back home. That was a problem for some people, because a lot of them did not have anything to go back to. The people that came with the “Bonus Army” built a Hooverville in Washington, D.C. and by doing this it provides them with temporary housing. It also helped break down racial barriers, for once whites and blacks came together and helped each other instead of hating each other. Still they had to leave and the Military Chief Douglas MacArthur and his men had to force them out. MacArthur went overboard. He was not supposed to cross the bridge where the veterans were living, but he did. The shanty town was burned and the soldiers threw tear gas at the people to try and force them out. By doing this he ruined President Hoover's chances of being reelected, which helped our Roosevelt win

Based on this photograph, the Great Depression had severe effects on many Americans. In this picture, many men are depicted standing, waiting in a very long line outside a restaurant. The line is crowded and very lengthy, and it probably took a very long time for the men to get to the restaurant. Document 4 Based on this document, the Bonus Marchers went to Washington because “they needed their money now.” These men, mostly ex-soldiers, were starving and desolate, and they simply needed money to survive.

Another example of Eleanor involving herself in the political arena as an established political figure is through her involvement with the Bonus Army. The Adjusted Compensation Act , passed by Congress in 1924, provided a five hundred dollar bonus to World War l Veterans to be paid at a later date up to 1945 . The Great Depression soon came and by 1932 about one fourth of Americans were unemployed, hungry and homeless: many were veterans.

After World War I, many unemployed Veterans were unhappy because they never received their service bonuses. So roughly ten thousand World War I veterans marched on Washington and set up a shantytown as a type of demonstration (Goldfield, 723-724). They became known as the Bonus Army. Since the Bonus Army was technically squatting in public building, President Hoover decided to have them evicted. The manner in which the Veterans were evicted is the final nail in Hoover’s metaphorical coffin. General Douglas McArthur led the charge to evict the Bonus Army, using infantry, cavalry, and even tanks to assault the shantytown (Goldfield, 724). “This assault provoked widespread outrage. The incident confirmed Hoover’s public image as harsh and insensitive” (Goldfield, 724). After the failure of his policies to relieve any amount of pressure from the depression and the massive public outcry against how the Bonus Army was handled, it was on wonder that the Presidential election of 1932 turned out the way it did. President Herbert Hoover’s response to the crash on Wall Street and the Depression, while good-natured and with the best intentions, was arguably sub par and had a direct effect on how people viewed his policies and the outcome of the presidential election of

24.The bonus army was a group who supported the patman bill which was to have veterans be complimented for their war time, however reacted by providing food and supplies to them out of respect. But after the law was voted down, hoover told the bonus army to disband all but a thousand people did not leave. Ending the government hearing them forcefully leave. Many were injured and two people were shot at

Once again, President Herbert Hoover’s ability to lead a nation during a national crisis was called into question. In July 1932, World War I veterans attempted to persuade Congress to release funds owed to them for their military service. For two months, the Bonus Expeditionary Force took over the streets, abandoned federal buildings, and greenways in an effort to rally Congressional support for their monetary bonus. However, joining the “Bonus Marchers” in Washington D.C. were known criminals, socialistic, and communistic agitators. The veteran’s efforts to secure the release of funds proved unsuccessful and most of the marchers left the area without incident. However, communist agitators sent there by their soviet handlers antagonized and

America was engaged in a highly profitable economic era. The nation and the legislative body thought that the economic boom-times of the 1920s would continue. Therefore, Congress placed the Adjusted Compensation Act into law. World War I Veterans were to begin receiving a monetary bonus from the United States Government in 1945. The economics of funding such a large financial obligation would now become an issue for future presidents. A global economic downturn took Americans out of their comfort zone and placed them into the heart of the Great Depression.

While they were in Washington most of the people in office tried to ignore their presence but congress debated about giving out the bonus early. On June 17 they ultimately decided against giving out the bonus early so many people returned home but others had no place to go so they stayed in Washington until they were forced to leave. The army used forces like guns and tear gas to get the people to leave their little towns, and when they had all left they burnt the

What initiated the Bonus March was that congress passed a bill that would reward veterans of WWI a cash bonus for their service. Unfortunately, they would not receive the cash bonus until 1945. At first during the prosperous 1920s, the veterans did not mine the delay of the cash compensation. Until the great depression in 1932, this caused many veterans to be without work and in need. The march was design to get congress to immediate pay their bonuses. Herbert Hoover felt with the country in having so many needs and limited funds, that paying the Bonus Army would take away from Americas most needy. The bonus army was a failed attempt to collect what they rightfully deserve but which actually succeeded.

When WW I veterans were discharged from duty; they got a little more than 60 dollars allowance and a train ticket home. During this period, the nation economy was in great depression. Veterans found it difficult to make a living. Although, the Congress tried to help by passing the Bonus Act, this law provided a bonus based on the number of days of service and most veterans can only get it after 20 years. Consequently, a large group of veterans march to Washington DC to demand full payment of their bonuses but did not get it. This made veterans’ situations difficult in assimilating to civilian life (U.S Department of Veterans