The March of the Bonus Army (2006)
The March of the Bonus Army (2006) This 30-minute New Voyage Communications gem describes the historical significance of what history books often present as a brief footnote, with focus on the Hoover-McArthur controversy. World War I was the first in which a majority of U. S. soldiers were conscripts. Under Selective Service, a number of young men were permitted to work as civilians in the wartime economy, while others went to France. Over 100,000 U. S. soldiers died, and more than 200,000 were gassed and wounded. Because of segregation, African-Americans were not permitted in U. S. combat units. Many thousand African Americans fought under the French flag.
After the welcome home parades and an ensuing recession, some veterans resented their lack of adequate compensation, while many healthy males had prospered as civilians in the U. S. war-time economy. During the Great Depression, this resentment coalesced into the Bonus Army’s march on Washington. Sparked by a gathering in Oregon led by ex-sergeant Walter Waters, perhaps 45,000 veterans and their families descended on Washington in May-June, 1932. They were seeking full payment of the Adjusted Service Certificate of 1924, which Congress had promised to pay in 1945. In early 1931 a bill, passed over President Hoover’s veto, permitted veterans to borrow against 50% of the value of these certificates.
This was a peaceful gathering. The soldiers and their families constructed rudimentary shacks in the mud flats of Anacostia. Most striking, given rigid military segregation, was the intermingling of whites and African Americans. The Washington police chief was sensitive to the veterans’ plight. By contrast, the U. S. government was concerned about possible insurrection. Army Chief of Staff Douglas MacArthur assembled a military force of tanks, cavalry, and combat-ready troops.
The veterans maintained a vigil at the Capitol Building, while Congress voted on a bonus bill. The House approved it, but, on June 17th, the Senate overwhelmingly rejected it. A month later, after Congress adjourned, Hoover ordered the forceful evacuation of the remainder (perhaps 12,000) of the Bonus Army. After minor police violence, MacArthur brought in his troops. To the astonishment of some veterans, their former comrades in arms launched tear gas bombs. MacArthur, apparently in violation of President Hoover’s
orders, sent his troops across the Anacostia Bridge. The result was some dead and wounded and the burning down of the Bonus Army’s tents and shacks.
Though the Bonus Army was disbanded, it left an important legacy. This was the first of many peaceful demonstrations in Washington to seek redress from the U. S. government. Ultimately, after several vetoes by President Franklin Roosevelt, payment of the remainder of the Adjusted Service Certificate was authorized in 1936.
Clearly this entire movement had a profound subsequent impact on President Roosevelt. He came to realize that soldiers who fought for their country deserved more than end-of-war parades. In 1944 he championed the G. I. Bill of Rights, which revolutionized American education by underwriting college and vocational education for veterans. In addition, 52/20 provided $20/weekly for a year for mustered out soldiers. Veteran low-interest mortgages also fueled the post-WW II housing boom.
One wonders, without the dramatic wake-up call of the Bonus Army, whether all this might have transpired. A lingering disconnect, despite the integration of the Bonus Army participants, was the continued oppressive military segregation during World War II. Desegregation only became official U. S. policy in 1948, through President Truman’s Executive Order. Even then, its implementation proceeded at a snail’s pace until well into the 1950s.
