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Bonus March

The “Bonus March” (1932): The Unmet Demands and Needs of WWI Heroes

By Michael J. Barga

Introduction: Following WWI, a pension was promised all returning service men to be administered in 1945.  As the Great Depression took shape, many WWI veterans found themselves out of work, and an estimated 17,000 traveled to Washington, D.C. in May 1932 to put pressure on Congress to pay their cash bonus immediately.  The former soldiers created camps in the Nation’s capital when they did not receive their bonuses which led to their forcible removal by the Army and the bulldozing of their settlements.

The Veteran’s Affairs Department, the Roaring 20’s, and the Great Depression

The Veteran’s Affairs department of the United States was created in 1917 based on previous service-provider groups for former soldiers dating back to the revolutionary war.  While medical services and compensation for injured and disabled veterans were first priority, it was decided by Congress to provide cash bonuses for WWI veterans beginning in 1945.  President Coolidge unsuccessfully vetoed the World War Adjusted Compensation Act, and debate was extended, yet veterans during the 1920’s were in an age of endless prosperity.

When the Great Depression hit, veterans were desperate for relief, and some had only the promise of their 1945 pension left after the loss of their life’s savings.  By May of 1932, the “Bonus Expeditionary Force,” a group estimated to be at least 15,000 veterans organized by Walter Waters, had caught the attention of law-makers.  On June 17, the Senate failed to pass the bill sent from the House.

The gathering of WWI veterans and their families became known as the “Bonus March,” and throughout the city were shabbily made shelters, as an estimated 30,000 others had also traveled D.C. to make their presence known.  Those that had marched victoriously down Pennsylvania Ave. at the end of WWI now lived a bleak existence in our nation’s capital, some clothed in scraps of their old uniforms.

Veterans Occupy D.C.  1932
Veterans Occupy D.C.  1932
On July 13, 1932, Brig. Gen. Pelham D. Glassford, Superintendent of the Washington, D.C., police, asked a group of war veterans on the Capitol grounds to raise their hands if they had served in France and were 100 percent American
On July 13, 1932, Brig. Gen. Pelham D. Glassford, Superintendent of the Washington, D.C., police, asked a group of war veterans on the Capitol grounds to raise their hands if they had served in France and were 100 percent American

One individual who was an eyewitness was the wife of the Washington Post’s owner, Evalyn Walsh McLean.  She describes a pick-up truck convoy packed with veterans and crowds with plain evidence of hunger in their faces.1  Some had come with their families, and many in the D.C. community offered aid including McLean.  To the shock of a local deli, McLean ordered a thousand sandwiches and bought a thousand packs of cigarettes while the superintendent of the Washington police provided coffee for the crowds.

Eleven days after Congress failed to compensate the “Bonus Army,” General Douglas MacArthur and the Army were ordered by President Hoover to drive the camp inhabitants away and bulldoze their settlements after riots erupted.  No shots were fired but the group was increasingly becoming a danger to the safety of the District, and the Howell bill was passed to provide transportation money to the marchers and their families for the trip home.  The “Bonus Army” did receive their full compensation earlier than planned when Congress overrode the veto of President Roosevelt in 1936.

In 1932, a group of WWI veterans in Portland, Ore., rallied the Bonus Army to Washington to lobby for early payment of their promised bonuses. They set up camp along the Anacostia River that May. But by July, officials lost patience and went into the camp to evict the marchers. It turned violent. A soldier torched a tent, and the Army began torching everything still standing.
In 1932, a group of WWI veterans in Portland, Ore., rallied the Bonus Army to Washington to lobby for early payment of their promised bonuses. They set up camp along the Anacostia River that May. But by July, officials lost patience and went into the camp to evict the marchers. It turned violent. A soldier torched a tent, and the Army began torching everything still standing.
"Bonus Marchers" and police battle in Washington, DC. The marchers came to Washington, DC, to demand their veterans "bonus" payment early from Congress. After several months of camping near the Anacostia River and after several confrontations with police, federal, troops drove the marchers from the city.
“Bonus Marchers” and police battle in Washington, DC. The marchers came to Washington, DC, to demand their veterans “bonus” payment early from Congress. After several months of camping near the Anacostia River and after several confrontations with police, federal, troops drove the marchers from the city.

The Legacy of the Bonus March on Social Policy

When the U.S. became involved in WWII, the Veteran’s Affairs administration once again hoped to set up benefits for those who served.  There was greater movement among the public and legislators to ensure the well-being of veterans, especially those that recalled the “Bonus March” crisis.  This tragic incident was a contributing factor to the expansion of VA services including the influential GI Bill of Rights of 1944.

Sources:

1.  Father Struck it Rich by Evalyn Walsh McClean.  New York: Arno Press, 1975: 302.

VA History in Brief by Department of Veteran Affairs.  Accessed at http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/archives/docs/history_in_brief.pdf , www.va.gov

The Bonus March: An Episode of the Great Depression by Roger Daniels.  Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1971.

 

7 Replies to “Bonus March”

  1. Our heartfelt gratitude to Michael J. Barga and Jack Hansan for their efforts in presenting
    this article, and attempting to keep a bright light shone on the historical plight
    of the American War Veteran!

    This is the first time I ever heard that, “no shots were fired,” when MacArthur’s troops
    forcibly evicted the Bonus Army. Newsreel photographs clearly show active-duty soldiers
    set afire the Veterans’ shacks & shanties, as we witness flames and beatings within view
    of the Capitol Dome itself!
    Every single other account that I have ever heard throughout my life since the 1960s
    clearly stated that, in no uncertain terms, American War Veterans died there that day
    at the hands of their government. Nonetheless, I welcome and heartily applaud your article. By this event, such as these shanty towns & tent cities were dubbed, “Hoovervilles,”
    in infamy for decades.

    For all who see it, one movie’s 7-minute finale haunts the conscience of America to this day.
    It is as true today for the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (see: IAVA.org)
    as it ever has been for the Veteran of every one of America’s Wars, clear back to the
    Revolution. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzMy7-7WV44
    It is called, “Remember My Forgotton Man,” from, “Gold Diggers of 1933.”
    Originally made for the giant screen in the theatre, it is best received and understood
    when seen full-screen and as large as possible. (Though this clip may be alittle blurry,
    a studio DVD copy is crystal-clear and quite powerful.)

    ~Christopher Joseph . . .
    Tampa, Florida

    • For all who see it, one movie’s 7-minute finale haunts the conscience of America to this day.
      Presented a year after the Bonus Army’s subjugation,
      it is as true today for the Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America (see: IAVA.org)
      as it ever has been for the Veteran of every one of America’s Wars, clear back to the
      Revolution. It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzMy7-7WV44
      It is called, “Remember My Forgotton Man,” from, “Gold Diggers of 1933.”
      Originally made for the giant screen in the theatre, it is best received and understood
      when seen full-screen and as large as possible. (Though this clip may be alittle blurry,
      a studio DVD copy is crystal-clear and quite powerful.)

  2. I had never read about this in history books in school. Talk show host Michael Savage spoke about this tonight on his radio show. My maternal grandfather fought in Spain and also was in WW1. I have very little of him. He died in 1972. His name is mentioned in the book, ” Soldiers of the Good Fight.” He also was a member of the ALBA. I have three nephews in the Armed Forces of America , young , not married. My Father died from wounds he received in the Battle of the Bulge in WW11. He was a Notre Dame graduate 1940..joined the Army ,as did all the fine young men. He died in 1949. I was almost four years old. I found the article very interesting indeed. Sincerely, Claudia Ruth Archer

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