One of the most distinguished protest movements occurred toward the end of Hoover’s presidency and centered on the Bonus Expeditionary Force, or Bonus Army, in the spring of 1932. The Bonus Army was the name applied a group of U.S. World War I veterans who marched on Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1932 demanding immediate cash payment of the service bonuses assured to them by Congress eight years earlier. Most of the veterans who marched on the Capitol in 1932 had been out of work since the Great Depression. They required money, and the World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924 had promised to give them their bonuses, but the bonuses were not scheduled for full payment until 1945. When the Great Depression came along, by 1932 they …show more content…
had urgent needs for the money. On June 1932, the US House of Representatives passed the Wright Patman Bonus Bill to move up the payment date of the veterans’ bonuses. However, the Senate defeated the bill. In protest to the Senate’s action, the Bonus Army veterans marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol Building. Hoover's public image and approval ratings, was already down due to his failure to effectively address the Great Depression, descended even lower after the Bonus Army March. Initial guilt perhaps arranges by Congress, as they were the ones who didn’t approve the Wright Patman Bonus Bill, which would have provided the World War I veterans with bonuses that they weren't scheduled to receive until 1945. The American public eventually reacted with anger and protest to Hoover’s obvious incapability to create solutions. Veterans from World War I petitioned to obtain their bonuses immediately, rather than waiting until 1945. The government contradicted them, and in the resulting chaos, Hoover used the military to disrupt the protest. Although the U.S. Senate officially rejected their request in summer 1932, several veterans persisted in protest in the city. Hoover commanded the police to vacant the buildings and clear out the camps, and in the exchange that arose, the police shot into the gathering, killing one veteran and wounding another. Dreading an armed rising, Hoover then directed General Douglas MacArthur, along with his assistants, Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton, to compulsorily take away the veterans from Anacostia Flats where they camped. The following attack demonstrated catastrophic, as the military burned down the shantytown and injured lots of people, including an infant who was killed by tear gas. Even the marchers’ retort to this crushing disappointment did not persuade President Hoover that these veterans were peaceful, nationalistic Americans; he was assured that the Bonus Army was not an ordinary movement of impecunious veterans but a mass of communist protestors enthusiastically planning a communist style revolution for the United States. The violence of this act was the final misfortune for Hoover. President Hoover’s chance at re-election probably ended with his oppressive action of the unemployed veterans who came to Washington looking for relief.
When Hoover authorized General MacArthur to remove the Bonus Army from Washington, D.C. MacArthur greatly surpassed Hoover’s orders in using military force against the unemployed former soldiers. The result was a public relation nightmare for the president. Hoover’s silence regarding MacArthur’s excesses directed the public to consider that the president had been in charge for the brutality. In the 1932 presidential election, Franklin D. Roosevelt hit Hoover. Even though Hoover’s militaristic action of the Bonus Army veterans may have caused to his defeat, Roosevelt had also been against the veterans’ demands during the 1932 campaign. However, instead of using army force, Roosevelt sent his wife to listen to their problems and more importantly he offered them employment. Hoover's status kept going downward by using the military to disperse protesters, so as a result Hoover would not be …show more content…
re-elected. President Hoover called the police to clear the streets, if they could not do that he would call out regular army troops.
It would have been an uncommon demonstration indeed to see troops guarding Pennsylvania Avenue to watch over the life of the President of the United States against a probable attack by a group of weary war veterans. Perhaps there was some risk of minor disarrays in front of the White House, but in fact there was not a significant probability of any certainly critical trouble evolving. These bonus-seekers veterans did no revolt, no fire, but they were an inchoate group of frustrated men nursing a common complaint. However, the anxiety of the White House precisely echoed the uprising alarm with which high officials of the government have been viewing the existence of the bonus army, an opinion that a clear majority of the residents of Washington D.C. did not accept it. In addition, Hoover was angry when he found that MacArthur’s disobedience to his order, but he refused to rebuke MacArthur. The entire occurrence was yet one more devastating rejection for
Hoover. The Bonus Army had certain effects on the government and reached beyond the primary matter of payment of the bonus. The direct effects of the bonus army arose from how the government, particularly President Hoover and General MacArthur, conducted the removal of the veterans from the Capitol. Several Americans were incensed that the government had commanded the army to act against veterans and this reaction affected Hoover's re-election campaign by changing public opinion against him. Many Americans considered it as needless and sympathized with the veterans who were not simply bums, but war heroes. Most non-veteran voters assessed the Bonus Army as an assessment of the philanthropical impulses of the president, which in public's judgements, he was unsuccessful.
The American Civil War not only proved to be the country’s deadliest war but also precipitated one of the greatest constitutional crises in the history of the United States. President Lincoln is revered by many Americans today as a man of great moral principle who was responsible for both preventing the Union’s dissolution as well as helping to trigger the movement to abolish slavery. In retrospect, modern historians find it difficult to question the legitimacy of Lincoln’s actions as President. A more precise review of President Lincoln’s actions during the Civil War, however, reveals that many, if not the majority, of his actions were far from legitimate on constitutional and legal grounds. Moreover, his true political motives reveal his
The Union Army was able to match the intensity of the Confederacy, with the similar practice of dedication until death and patriotism, but for different reasons. The Union soldiers’s lifestyles and families did not surround the war to the extent of the Confederates; yet, their heritage and prosperity relied heavily on it. Union soldiers had to save what their ancestors fought for, democracy. “Our (Union soldiers) Fathers made this country, we, their children are to save it” (McPherson, 29). These soldiers understood that a depleted group of countries rather than one unified one could not flourish; “it is essential that but one Government shall exercise authority from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific” (Ledger, 1861).
He quickly moves from the panic of 1929 to the ‘30’s and how many of the popular governmental sentiments during the election were no longer so. Hoover quickly moved from a position of public acceptance and admiration to that of a scapegoat. That the Depression was his fault is not entirely true, though. Hoover did not have much of the information needed to foretell the economic situation. In the laissez-faire form of government he prescribed, there was no place for a department that would document these things for the use of the president’s office.
As Document A suggests, Hoover did not want to be considered completely laissez-faire. He seemed less determined to preserve the extremely capitalistic society of the 1920's which was run, often corruptly, by political machines, such as Tweed. However, the success of the American economy under the private interest beliefs of Harding and Coolidge required him to ensure that the lack of intervention ... ... middle of paper ... ...ca afloat as shown in Document D. Roosevelt immediately gained the public's favor with his liberal ideas.
“…we find some causes for concern. We have emerged from the losses of the Great War and the reconstruction following it with increased virility and strength.” In this regard, he also pushed the nation to take the blame and the initiative to be responsible to make that change needed.
Although the nation listened with little hope, the genuineness behind the words Roosevelt spoke opened the ears of many. While many ridiculed Hoover and found ways to belittle his status with phrases such as “Hoovervilles” to describe shanty towns or “Hoover Blankets” to describe the newspapers individuals used as warmth, he practiced denial. While the people of the nation suffered, his approach to keeping the facade that the economy “was on its way” was to preserve and uphold formal attire and protocol in the White House.... ... middle of paper ...
A Southern refugee once reflected, and referred to the Army of the Potomac as the “greatest army in the planet.” Although this is a clear exaggeration, from a Southern perspective following the Battle of Antietam, this was not too far off. Relative to the Army of Northern Virginia, the Federal army was vastly larger, in better spirits, and strategically in better positions. To direct this army of great potential, President Lincoln appointed the reluctant Major General Ambrose Everett Burnside. Almost immediately after receiving command, Burnside adopted a plan; the objective was Richmond. He was convinced that a victory at Richmond would cripple the Confederate’s ability to carry on; whether this would have been true is debatable. What is not arguable however, is Burnside’s neglect of a small city by the name of Fredericksburg, which lied directly in his path. He inherited every advantage a military leader of the time could hope for; however, every one of these advantages was dissolved with his disregard of mission command. The Army of the Potomac’s loss at the Battle of Fredericksburg was a direct result of General Burnside’s failure at conducting the commander’s activities of understanding, describing, leading, and assessing.
After the second Battle of Manassas, the Army of the Potomac was demoralized and President Lincoln needed someone that could reorganize it. President Lincoln liked General McClellan personally and admired his strengths as an administrator, organizer, and drillmaster. Lincoln was aware that the soldiers loved General McClellan and had nicknamed him “Little Mac.” Knowing this, President Lincoln ordered General McClellan to “assume command of Washington, its defenses and all forces in the immediate vicinity.”1 This was not a field command but intended for General McClellan to take the returning demoralized Army and the new soldiers coming into Washington and make them a fighting force, nothing more. Lincoln knew as well that although Ge...
Being afraid and being aware that the Germans were the problem were both wins for the American community. Now that the people were afraid, the American government could step in and imply laws that had never been implied to another man. For instance, there was a case where a famous conductor by the name of Dr. Karl Much had his own experience with this American support. This man was “accused o...
In order to properly introduce the beginnings of the GI Bill, the timeline will begin in the years during the Great Depression. At this point in history, many Veterans found it difficult to make a living. The United States Congress tried to intervene by passing the World War Adjusted Act of 1924, commonly known as the Bonus Act. This law would provide a bonus based on the number of days served. This law was a failed attempt to help because the catch was that most Veterans wouldn’t see a dime for 20 years. In the summer of 1932, a group of Veterans marched in Washington, D.C. to demand full payment of their bo...
The Great Depression America 1929-1941 by Robert S. McElvaine covers many topics of American history during the "Great Depression" through 1941. The topic that I have selected to compare to the text of American, Past and Present, written by Robert A. Divine, T.H. Breen, George M. Frederickson and R. Hal Williams, is Herbert Hoover, the thirty-first president of the United States and America's president during the horrible "Great Depression".
New York City at the time of the Civil War can be explained as a small roaming forest fire with the potential to cause an exponential amount of damage, not only to the city but the Union. The city, in a state of constant turmoil over a great many things; race, class, politics, and a constantly diminishing amount of available employment opportunities for it’s 800,000 citizens. The riots, which took place in New York between July 13 and July 17, 1863, are called by most, the “New York City Draft Riots.” When in all actuality the enactment of the draft was simply the catalyst to the already engulfing issues that had plagued and divided the city among lines of every distinction. The events over these five days are still widely viewed as the most destructive civil upheaval in terms of loss of life and the “official” number of those who gave their lives in those five days is estimated around 119.
Jackson’s inauguration was extremely different from any past presidencies. A rowdy mob of office seekers went insane on the day of the inauguration. Many people wanted to call it enthusiasm, but the real truth was that Jackson’s supporters had been promised high political positions in return for their support, or the “Spoils System”. These promises were honored right after Jackson entered is presidency. 919 officials were removed from government positions, taking away nearly 10 percent of all government positions. The hardest changed organization in the federal government was the post office. It was the largest department in the federal government, and in one year, 423 workers were deprived of their positions, and many of them had records of good service (American 1). This shallow effect in order to achieve presidency would be considered clever and witty, if it weren’t for the fact that Jackson was employing his supporters, who were mostly lower to middle class (considering that he was “the common man”, and so were his supporters). If the Spoils System had taken place with people of a more educated rank, then Jackson could’ve had a support system, while employing his political friends to higher ran...
As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today.
In the early days of World War II the everyday people of this country already sensed the great change to come. Interviews taken from the Library of Congress, in the collection labeled “After the Day of Infamy,” offer a window into the past. Into the America that existed in the early days after the attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entrance into the war. Inside the collection, the pulse of the nation is revealed. Ordinary people, some of whom do not reveal their names, are given a chance to record their opinion of the war, the Japanese people, and the race relations within the union. In these open letters to the president and the “Man on the Street” interviews, the American public reveals their prejudices and their concerns in the most candid of fashion.