Welcome back to Bad Things in History, where we save all our begging until
the very end of the video and skip straight to the depressing stuff.
For example, the treatment of military veterans has been controversial at every point in history.
Those who sacrifice their time and health to fight in wars
often discover that they are discarded and neglected once the crisis has passed.
In the United States this problem has nearly caused armed revolt several times.
Today we are going to tell you about World War One veterans who demanded what they were owed.
In return they were attacked by the United States military.
The First Mutiny
Many modern military traditions have their roots in antiquity.
For hundreds of years those who served in the Roman Legions were conscripted.
Only landowners were eligible to serve during times of war.
They were also unpaid. Those drafted into the ranks were even required to buy their
own equipment. The government offered nothing in return for this service.
That changed in 107 BC. Recruits for the Roman military were finally paid to
fight Rome s enemies. The equipment they needed would be provided by the state.
And when the term of service ended, provided the soldier survived,
he would be paid with land. The idea of paying soldiers who were
willing to join was revolutionary. It created a more professional and effective military.
The countries of Europe retained this knowledge long after the Roman Empire was gone.
When the Revolutionary War erupted, the fledgling United States had to learn the
lessons of the past all over again. The problem of compensating disabled soldiers appeared very
early in the conflict and Congress tried to address it. In 1776 they passed a law
ensuring that disabled soldiers would be paid a cash bonus for their suffering.
It wasn t very helpful because most disabled veterans couldn t work. Some of those who
were fighting in the war began running away instead of risking injury or death. After all,
the government wouldn t help them or their families if the worst should come to pass.
To stop mass desertions during the war Congress finally created a pension plan for disabled
soldiers. The military seemed to be appeased and continued fighting. Eventually the conflict
reached an end. But Congress never actually paid the soldiers what they were owed.
This resulted in the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783.
The first Capital of the Federal government was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On June 17th, 1783,
Congress received a message from veterans stationed nearby.
They demanded payment for their service in the Revolutionary War. And if they were not paid,
there would be consequences. Congress ignored the demands.
On June 20th four hundred former soldiers took control of the building where Congress met.
They sealed the doors and prevented many members of the legislature from leaving.
Alexander Hamilton was eventually able to convince a soldier to let a small group depart.
He then sent word to the Pennsylvania state government asking them to protect the Federal
government from this mutiny. The state did nothing to help. Eventually George Washington ordered
troops into the city. They arrested the mutinous former soldiers and ended the violence.
This event is also one of the reasons why Washington D.C. was created.
The Federal Government wanted a district completely under its control.
Congress passed a law in 1788 which finally ensured soldiers were paid a proper bonus.
The bonuses were paid as a combination of land and cash, just as the Roman Empire
had once done. Originally a soldier could be eligible for up to 100 acres of land.
But in the 1850s this was increased to 160 acres of land.
The problem with this compensation scheme is that the United States did not have infinite land.
By the mid-1800s some states, such as Tennessee, had more than forty percent of its farmable
land in the hands of veterans. In 1860 the military bonus program was finally changed
to cash only. Veterans were no longer entitled to receive land for their service.
By the 1890s they were no longer entitled to a bonus at all.
As far as the United States government was concerned, serving in the military
was its own reward. By the end of World War One many veterans would disagree.
Fair Compensation Although World War One veterans were not
entitled to a bonus the United States Government decided to give them one anyway. Those who served
in the conflict were given sixty dollars for their service. That would be worth about $947 today.
The veterans were not happy with this gift from the government. The first world war was a conflict
unlike any other. A significant number of former soldiers suffered debilitating physical injuries.
Many who appeared otherwise fine had severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.
It was difficult for many veterans to find work and for those who did,
keeping a job could be impossible.
In 1919 United States veterans created a nonprofit organization known as The American Legion.
Its goal was to help improve the lives of veterans. One of the Legion s first battles
was convincing the government to give a bonus to the soldiers who sacrificed for their country.
Congress was sympathetic to the cause. They voted to enact the World War Adjusted
Compensation Act in 1924 that would finally offer some relief to veterans.
Calvin Coolidge was President at the time. He vetoed the bill stating that:
"patriotism... bought and paid for is not patriotism."
Congress overrode his veto, and the bill went into effect. But the joy felt by former soldiers at
this victory was short-lived. For most of them the bonus wouldn t be available for several years.
The amount paid was based on days of service. If a veteran was entitled to $50 or less, it would be
paid immediately. Otherwise, the amount owed was placed into a trust where it would gain interest.
The veterans were given certificates that could not be redeemed for twenty years.
It seemed as though the battle was over,
and the veterans had lost. But their patience would wear thin yet again in a few short years.
Bonus Expeditionary Force As the 1930s began so did The Great Depression.
The economy was in shambles and jobs were difficult to find.
For those who served in the last war it was almost impossible to make a living.
They no longer had the option to wait for their bonuses to be paid.
In the spring and summer of 1932 thousands of veterans decided that
there was strength in numbers. Between 17,000 and 25,000 veterans
organized themselves and began marching to Washington D.C.
Although these soldiers had fought in the war within racially segregated units, now
they had a common cause. Veterans of all races and their families walked into the nation s Capital.
And they didn t intend to leave empty handed. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary
Force. The media referred to them as The Bonus Army.
Most of these former soldiers were also completely destitute. They set up camp from across a nearby
river and began making shelters that were known as Hoovervilles . They used whatever
construction materials were available in local dumps. A shanty town built with
tin and cardboard soon appeared. The veterans and their families may
have lived in complete poverty. But they were disciplined and organized.
The makeshift community had clear roads and very little crime. The Superintendent of Washington
D.C. police, Pelham D. Glassford, worked very closely with the veterans to maintain order.
Herbert Hoover was President and was running for re-election. He hoped that the protestors would
eventually disperse on their own and that he would not have to intervene. But events
soon moved in an unfortunate direction. A bill was proposed in Congress that would
pay the World War One veterans sooner rather than making them wait for several more years.
It didn t receive enough votes to pass, and the protestors became increasingly angry.
After the bill failed the veterans did not return home. They stayed in their makeshift
shelters and continued advocating for some type of economic relief. On July 28th Glassford was
ordered to clear the Hooverville structures and remove the protestors from the city.
The veterans left, then later returned to their camps. Police drew their revolvers and began
shooting. Two men were killed by the gunfire. The commission in charge of Washington D.C. felt
they could no longer control the situation. They asked for help. President Hoover sent the Army to
finish what the police had started. MacArthur Attacks
The officers in charge of pushing the veterans out of Washington D.C. would become famous during
World War Two. But their first appearance in the public spotlight was not flattering.
Douglas MacArthur was the Army s Chief of Staff in 1932. He had been expecting the order to
attack for some time. In preparation he tried to change public opinion by
talking to the press at every opportunity. He accused the protesting veterans of being
communist sympathizers who wanted to overthrow the government. At one point he stated:
Pacifism and its bedfellow communism are all around us.
George S. Patton would one day be a famous General.
In 1932 he was a Major and he was under MacArthur s command. Patton also had advice
for his troops. Here is what he told them to do when facing the Bonus Expeditionary Force:
If you must fire do a good job-a few casualties become martyrs, a large
number an object lesson.... When a mob starts to move keep it on the run.... Use a bayonet to
encourage its retreat. If they are running, a few good wounds in the buttocks will encourage
them. If they resist, they must be killed. MacArthur and his troops massed on the other
side of the river. A bridge separated them from the makeshift town the veterans created.
Walter W. Waters was the leader of the Bonus Army. And he knew that if the veterans didn t leave
it would end in violence. They did not want that because many of them
had their wives and children with them. Walter asked MacArthur if the veterans would
be given the chance to gather their belongings and retreat from Washington D.C. in an orderly manner.
MacArthur replied, Yes, my friend, of course.
Walter Waters would soon discover that MacArthur was a liar.
President Hoover twice sent orders to MacArthur telling him to not cross the
river. But he ignored the President and his promise to Walter Waters.
At 4:45 pm MacArthur ordered the military to evict the veterans. Soldiers on foot
and horseback pushed into the camp. Patton brought tanks into the streets as well.
At first the protestors didn t realize they were being attacked. They thought that maybe
the military was marching to honor them. But then tear gas was shot into their midst.
Soldiers also used another gas on the protestors called adamsite which induces vomiting.
The veterans suffered from this attack as did their wives and children.
While their eyes were burning and they couldn t stop vomiting, the protestors and their
families were forced out of their temporary settlements at the point of bayonets.
The fleeing mass of humanity ran across the river to escape MacArthur and Patton.
They traveled to another camp that was farther away. President Hoover sent another
order to MacArthur telling him to stop the attack. Douglas MacArthur ignored the order
and claimed that the Bonus Army was trying to overthrow the United States Government.
MacArthur and Patton pushed into the next camp and began firing on the protestors.
Fifty-five veterans were injured. One hundred and thirty-five were arrested.
One woman suffered a miscarriage and a baby died after being caught in a tear gas attack.
Joe Angelo was one of the veterans who joined the Bonus Army. In 1918 he saved
George Patton s life in France. He was given the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism.
He approached Patton after the violence ended.
Patton was not interested in listening to the man who saved his life. He said,
I do not know this man. Take him away and under no circumstances permit him to return.
Delayed Victory
Dwight D. Eisenhower would one day be the supreme commander of allied forces in World War
Two. He would also become President. But in 1932 he was MacArthur s aide. He was
not impressed with how the Bonus Army was treated. He said of MacArthur,
"I told that dumb son-of-a-bitch not to go down there"
Although MacArthur had disobeyed direct orders, it was President Hoover who
suffered the consequences. Hoover lost his bid for re-election, and in 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
became President of the United States. While campaigning Roosevelt didn t support
the Bonus Army. But he also didn t plan to make the same mistakes as Hoover.
When veterans again marched to Washington D.C in 1933 Roosevelt had a camp set up for them.
The military provided three meals a day. And they even had free entertainment.
Roosevelt did not give the former soldiers what they demanded. But he did offer them
jobs in what were called Veteran Rehabilitation Camps . It wasn t what the veterans wanted but
it was better than nothing. General MacArthur would have a
notable military career that lasted until 1951. During the Korean War he was forced to retreat,
and it looked like the conflict may be lost entirely. Harry Truman was President and wanted
to make sure that a war wasn t triggered with China. The Soviet Union and China had
signed a defense pact so the threat of nuclear war could not be dismissed.
MacArthur ignored President Truman s directives. It was also discovered that he was communicating
with foreign governments directly and contradicting Truman when he did so.
In April 1951 MacArthur was fired. President Truman later said:
I fired him because he wouldn't respect the authority of the President. I didn't fire him
because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that's not against the law for generals.
If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.
George S. Patton would command troops during World War Two. But at the end of the war,
he was involved in an accident. Patton s car collided with an Army truck. He hit his
head on the windshield and became paralyzed. Twelve days later he died in the hospital.
Although the Bonus Army participants would not receive additional compensation
the next generation of soldiers would. Congress passed the Servicemen s Readjustment Act of
1944 which ensured that those who served in the military received a number of benefits.
They were given unemployment pay, access to loans, and tuition for further education.
Unlike the veterans from World War One, many of those who served in the second World War prospered
once their service ended. ------------------------
What do you think about the way that the Bonus Army was treated? Was it a bad idea to
bring their families to a protest? And should Douglas MacArthur share most of the blame?
Are veterans treated better today? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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