3. What was the Bonus Army? What did It do?Lookon the Internet or at the library to find out. (1)/(2) (1)/(2)

The Bonus Army was a group of approximately 43,000 demonstrators, including around 17,000 World War I veterans, their families, and affiliated groups, who gathered in Washington, D.C., in the spring and summer of 1932. They were there to demand early cash redemption of their service certificates.<br /><br />The background of the Bonus Army's protest lies in the financial difficulties faced by many veterans during the Great Depression. The World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924 had awarded them bonuses in the form of certificates that could not be redeemed until 1945. However, due to the economic hardships of the time, the veterans sought immediate payment.<br /><br />The Bonus Army set up camps and shantytowns in Washington, D.C., as they lobbied Congress for early payment. Despite their peaceful protests, the U.S. government, under President Herbert Hoover, decided to forcibly remove the demonstrators. On July 28, 1932, the U.S. Army, led by General Douglas MacArthur, used cavalry, infantry, tanks, and tear gas to disperse the protesters and destroy their encampments.<br /><br />The harsh treatment of the Bonus Army contributed to public disillusionment with the Hoover administration and is considered one of the factors that led to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election as president later that year. In 1936, Congress eventually passed legislation to provide the veterans with their bonuses, overriding a veto by President Roosevelt.