“Bonus Army” Evicted From Washington, D.C
The "Bonus Army" refers to a group of approximately 20,000 World War I veterans who gathered in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1932 to demand early payment of bonuses promised to them in the Soldiers Bonus Bill of 1924. This petition was driven by the dire economic conditions of the Great Depression, which severely impacted veterans, many of whom faced unemployment and financial hardship. The veterans set up a camp at Anacostia Flats, but when their requests were denied by Congress, tensions escalated.
On July 28, 1932, the federal government, under President Herbert Hoover's orders, forcibly evicted the Bonus Army using military troops led by General Douglas MacArthur. The eviction involved significant aggression, including the use of cavalry and tanks, which resulted in the dismantling of the veterans’ camp and an unfortunate clash between the military and the protesters. This event not only marked a pivotal moment in the history of veterans' rights but also significantly damaged President Hoover's reputation, contributing to his defeat in the subsequent presidential election. The "Bonus Army" remains a symbol of the struggles faced by veterans and the broader societal challenges during the Great Depression.
“Bonus Army” Evicted From Washington, D.C.
“Bonus Army” Evicted From Washington, D.C.
On July 28, 1932, one of the more sordid incidents of the Great Depression occurred when the federal government used force to drive impoverished, protesting veterans known as the “Bonus Army” from Washington, D.C.
The incident had its roots in the years immediately following World War I, when hundreds of thousands of American servicemen were demobilized after the fighting ended. In the Soldiers Bonus Bill, passed on April 21, 1924, Congress authorized a bonus for war veterans based on their length of service. The bonus was to be in the form of a twenty-year annuity policy. As with most Americans, however, the onset of the Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 hit veterans hard. Millions of people lost their jobs and their savings, and those who were able to stay employed saw their wages fall by an average of 60 percent from 1929 to 1932.
Beginning on May 29, 1932, veterans groups began to gather in Washington, D.C., to petition the federal government for early payments on their service benefits under the Soldiers Bonus Bill. They wanted their benefits early, in order to help alleviate their current economic problems. The veterans' gathering, nicknamed the “Bonus Expeditionary Force” or the “Bonus Army,” camped out at Anacostia Flats. Like similar encampments of the poor and unemployed throughout the nation at this time, they referred to their community derisively as a “Hooverville,” after President Herbert Hoover who was widely blamed for the nation's economic misfortunes. The veterans' numbers increased to roughly 20,000 during the summer of 1932.
On June 15, 1932, the House of Representatives approved Bonus Bill legislation in favor of the veterans' demands by a vote of 211 to 176. However, on June 17 the Senate rejected the Bonus Bill by a vote of 62 to 18, and so the legislation died. The veterans responded by marching in protest along Pennsylvania Avenue past the White House in what was nicknamed the “Death March.” The federal authorities became concerned about the possibility of riots and civil unrest, especially after several incidents between the marchers and the police took place in the stifling summer heat. Although many of the veterans had already accepted their defeat and begun to leave the city, the government decided to take more forceful action to bring the matter to a close.
Roughly 10,000 veterans were still in Washington, D.C. on July 28, 1932. President Hoover ordered the secretary of war to command General Douglas MacArthur, then the army chief of staff, to remove the remnants of the Bonus Army. MacArthur led federal troops from the nearby military bases at Fort Myer and Fort Washington against the Bonus Army. One unit was commanded by Major George S. Patton, who like MacArthur would go on to be one of the leading military figures of World War II. Backed by cavalry and even some tanks, the troops marched with fixed bayonets and cleared downtown Washington, D.C., of the protesting veterans. Then, they proceeded to the settlement at Anacostia Flats, forcing the veterans and their families to evacuate and leveling the encampment.
The Bonus Army movement ended in failure, but in crushing the veterans President Hoover further diminished his already low standing in the public eye. Several months later, Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt would defeat him in the 1932 presidential elections.