Bonus Army Eviction

Setting the scene

The Bonus Army eviction occurred on July 28, 1932, when U.S. Army troops led by General Douglas MacArthur forcibly dispersed 43,000 World War I veterans and their families who had camped in Washington, D.C., demanding early payment of a promised bonus. The veterans, called the Bonus Expeditionary Force, had been promised a bonus in 1924, payable in 1945, but with the Great Depression causing mass unemployment, they demanded immediate payment. They built a shantytown called Hooverville at Anacostia Flats.

What happened

In June 1932, the House passed a bill for early payment, but the Senate rejected it. Most veterans left, but about 10,000 remained. On July 28, after police killed two veterans in a clash, President Herbert Hoover ordered the Army to clear the camps. MacArthur, with Major Dwight Eisenhower and Major George Patton as aides, led infantry, cavalry, and tanks against the unarmed veterans, using tear gas and bayonets. The camps were burned, and two veterans died, including an infant from tear gas exposure.

Why it still matters

The eviction was a public relations disaster for Hoover, portraying him as heartless during the Depression, and contributed to his landslide loss to Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. The images of soldiers attacking veterans shocked the nation. MacArthur exceeded orders by crossing the Anacostia River to burn the main camp, against Hoover's instructions. The Bonus Army's demands were eventually met in 1936 when Congress overrode Roosevelt's veto to pay the bonus early. The eviction demonstrated the government's willingness to use military force against citizens and foreshadowed the New Deal's more sympathetic approach to veterans and the unemployed.

Background

Depression-era anger targeted Hoover.