Bonus Army: Encyclopedia II - Bonus Army - Arrival in Washington

Bonus Army - Arrival in Washington

The Bonus Army massed at the United States Capitol on June 17 as the U.S. Senate considered the Patman Bonus Bill, which would give World War I veterans certain benefits. Most of the Bonus Army camped in makeshift camps (similar to Hoovervilles) on the Anacostia Flats, a swampy, muddy area across the Anacostia River from the federal core of Washington. The protesters had hoped that they could pressure Congress to change the law and make immediate payments, which would have provided relief for the marchers, many of whom were unemployed due to the Great Depression. The bill had passed the House of Representatives on June 15, but was blocked in the Senate.

After the defeat of the bill, Congress appropriated funds to pay for the marchers' return home, which some marchers accepted. On July 28, Washington police attempted to remove some remaining Bonus Army protesters from a federal site where construction was scheduled to proceed under the government's public works program. After a police officer fatally shot two veterans, the protesters assaulted the police with blunt weapons, wounding several of them. After the police retreated, the District of Columbia commissioners informed President Herbert Hoover that they could no longer maintain the peace, whereupon Hoover ordered federal troops to remove the marchers from the general area.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Arrival in Washington", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki