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In 1932, in the depths of the Depression, thousands of hungry and disgruntled veterans of WW I marched on Washington, D.C. demanding that Congress pay them the bonus for their military service that had been promised years before. Banding together, unemployed Oregon cannery workers marched with Pennsylvania coal miners and Alabama cotton pickers, as more than 20 thousand "bonus marchers" participated in the biggest rally to date in the nation's capital. And they stayed for weeks, setting up tent cities, living in cardboard shanties, and shaking the nerves of President Hoover. Find out how they played a role in defeating Hoover in the fall election, and improving the government's treatment of veterans after WW II.
Bonus Army March was produced by Lex Gillespie. The original elements were assembled and mixed by David First. Christian Mendelhall read the excerpts from Walter Water's book. Additional research was conducted by Annie Wu and Andrew Purgham. The program was originally produced by WAMU's Washington Series.
Links:
The Sad Tale of the Bonus Marchers
One page description of the bonus march including pictures.
The Bonus March (May - July 1932)
the Bonus march described on the PBS website
Bonus Army Visual
A picture of the setting during the bonus army march. More bonus army pictures are available on the "index" page.
Bonus Marchers: Homeless Vets Routed from DC in 1932 FWD
a very interesting description of the bonus march done through an online mailing list.
President Hoover on the Bonus Army
President Hoover's view on the Bonus army marchers
Books:
B.E.F.: The Whole Story of the Bonus Army
WATERS, W.W. (COMMANDER, B.E.F.)
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