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In 1924 Congress, in a display of patriotic emotion and public gratitude, enacted a bill that awarded veterans for their service in World War I a "bonus" payment redeemable in full in 1945. Many veterans, experiencing financial problems both pressing and unanticipated, were eager to receive an earlier payout, a preference provided for in a bill introduced in 1932 by Congressman Wright Patman. In an effort to convince Congress to pass the bill, veterans began to gather in Washington to express their support. Among the first to arrive were a group of several hundred who, under the leadership of Walter W. Waters, referred to themselves as the Bonus Expeditionary Force. It is estimated that the veterans' numbers may have well exceeded sixteen thousand at the peak of their summer encampment in the nation's capital. While a few of the demonstrators occupied empty Treasury Department buildings along...
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This section contains 167 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
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