The G.I. Bill of Rights
The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 fundamentally changed the composition of the American workforce by enabling an unprecedented number of American veterans to attend college and trade schools. Signed into law on June 22, 1944, the G. I. Bill of Rights, as it came to be known, granted stipends covering tuition and living expenses, provided vocational rehabilitation, established veterans' hospitals and made low-interest mortgages available for veterans of WWII. The legislation was eventually expanded to include all who served in the armed forces, even in peacetime, under the Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966.
The significance of the G.I. Bill to the social and economic development of the United States cannot be overstated. Once a bastion of upper-class intellectuals, university education was now opened up to people from every income level. Practical subjects, such as business and engineering, gained popularity, resulting in a better trained, more productive workforce. Furthermore, the enhancement of Veterans Administration Hospitals has allowed veterans to receive low-cost, quality healthcare, increasingly important to an aging veteran population. Often closely associated with university hospitals, many important research developments have taken place through VA Hospitals, including the development of dialysis machines. Finally, the availability of low-interest mortgages is widely credited with facilitating the post-war housing boom and growth of suburbs. Developments such as Levittown were built expressly with the intent of providing housing for returning soldiers and their families. Nearly 20% of all single-family homes built from 1945-1965 were financed, at least in part, by the G.I. Bill's loan guarantee program. With these subsidies, veterans were able to afford improved housing, fostering the emergence of a new middle class.
The G.I. Bill has had many incarnations since Franklin Roosevelt signed the original Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The current Montgomery G.I. Bill, enacted in 1984, uses optional tuition benefits to serve as an incentive to military service. It is a voluntary plan that requires a contribution on the part of the soldier in order to earn tuition benefits. Though the program has cost the U.S. Government an estimated $70 billion over the years, it is widely considered one of the best single investments the federal government has ever made. A 1986 Congressional Research Office study indicates that every dollar invested in the G.I. Bill has returned between $5.00 and $12.50 in the form of increased taxes paid as a result of higher incomes.
Humes’ novel is about the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, dubbed the G.I. Bill of Rights, and contains stories of several men and women whose lives were changed because of this bill. Humes expresses how some individuals disliked the G.I. Bill, but not he. Throughout the novel, Humes expresses how the G.I. Bill was good for the country and presents those opposed in a negative light. For example, Humes writes,
There was a short time where all was calm right after the civil war. king charles the second and his father were both dead so Charles brother took over. this is king James the secondf and he was a Catholic sao he appointed many high positions in the government. Most of his sibjects were protestant and did not like the idea of Catholicism being the religion theyd have to abide by. like his father and brother king james the second ignored the peoples wishes and ruled without Parliament and relied on royal power. an English Protestant leader wanted to take the power away from james and give it to his daughter Mary and Her husband William from the Netherlands. William saled out to the south of england with his troops but sent them away soon after they landed
After the Constitution was written, the new born nation was immediately split into two political sides, the federalists and the anti-federalists, over the ratification. Federalists, southern planters or people that tended to hold interest in trade, advocated a strong executive. On the other hand, anti-federalists, back country people or people involved in business but not in the mercantile economy, opposed the ratification of the constitution. The two sides, after much debate, were able to come to a compromise after the Bill of Rights was included into the Constitution.
This brought about the "Servicemen's Readjustment Act -- the G.I. Bill of Rights". The programs were meant to not only educate and train the returning soldiers, but also help them obtain low interest mortgages and business loans. These loans are backed by the Veterans Administration and guaranteed by the government. Most of the suburbs were built as small communities with strip malls. This meant that all families had to have at least one car, if not two, for a second job.
A healthy postwar economy would depend on providing soldiers money and a place to live once they were home. So the US Government came up with the GI Bill witch was passed 50-0. On June 22, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the GI Bill of Rights. The law made possible the loan of billions of dollars to purchase homes for millions of veterans, and helped transform the majority of Americans from renters to homeowners. Though the bill sounded so great many in Congress and educators at Colleges and Universities had serious doubts. Some felt the GI Bill was too expensive, others feared veterans would lower standards in education. Many saw a postwar America faced with the loss of millions of jobs, creating unprecedented unemployment. A federal survey indicated that 56% of the nation's soldiers anticipated a widespread economic depression after the war.
In the year 1944, US Legislation passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment act, commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights. It is one of the most significant pieces of legislation ever produced by the federal government; one that impacted the United States socially, economically and politically. The GI Bill offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including financial assistance for higher education for veterans of U.S. military service. The benefits of the GI Bill are intended to help veterans readjust to civilian life following service to their country and to encourage bright, motivated men and women to volunteer for military duty. Many factors and contributions have gone into the development of the GI Bill, and it has changed over the years. This research paper will introduce the reader to a brief history of the formation and evolution of the GI Bill, discuss the current benefits that it offers to student populations in response to their specific needs, and introduce current implications that the GI Bill has placed on student veterans and institutions across the nation.
This GI Bill in turn created a major expansion of the nation's higher education system and made college a cornerstone of middle-class American life. Although the GI Bill is still in existence, the effects of the bill has been limited due to the high costs of college today. A plan that was once extremely successful is no longer as effective. Free education, during this time, did, in fact, create jobs and improve the economic standing of America and can still help societies
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, also known as the GI Bill of Rights (GI Bill), was signed into law on June 22, 1944, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (United States Department of Veterans Affairs, 2012). It was a pivotal point in history, which has impacted the United States socially, economically and politically. Today, educational benefits are primary tools used to recruit service members. In 2007-2008, about 4 percent of all undergraduates and about 4 percent of all graduate students were veterans or military service members (Radford, 2011). Furthermore, the recent expansions in benefits increase the use of education benefits by veterans will grow almost 5 percent (Simon, Negrusa, & Warner, 2009). To improve the success in higher education, veterans must ensure they keep updated on current educational assistance programs as well as other educational services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and their institutions.
On the heels of war, new technology caused a decrease in prices of goods in the 1920’s and in the 1950’s the GI Bill increased income. The bureaucratization of business in the 1920’s meant that more people could be employed in higher paying white-collar jobs than before, including, for the first time, housewives. This new income combined with the reduced prices for goods that resulted from mechanized production, assembly lines and a general decrease of the cost of technology created a thriving consumerist middle class that went on to fuel the economy in all sectors, especially the upper classes. Likewise, during World War II Americans saved up around 150 billion dollars, and this sum combined with the income of the GI Bill allowed normal people to buy expensive things, from houses to cars to electronics to educations at a rapid rate, fueling the trademark prosperity of the 1950’s. The new automobile culture of the 50’s spawned new businesses that catered to mobile Americans, such as nicer and more standardized hotels like Holiday Inn, and drive-up restaurants like McDonalds. Just as the culture of the 1920’s was transfo...
Soldiers, both men and women, risk their lives fighting for our country and when they come home they receive far fewer benefits than would be expected. Throughout history the support for veterans has lessened. The amount of money that is provided to veterans for healthcare and housing after returning to the states has severely decreased since WWI.
“ The government is morally obligated to serve people and protect their rights such as life, liberty, and property. “ The Constitution had no effect against the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution was created to make a stronger central government to protect the rights of its people. The social contract protects the natural rights, while the Constitution protects every other rights, like adding an extra layer of protection. The writers intention of the Bill of Rights was to ensure the safety of citizens rights without them being violated. Most amendments apply in daily life, but it might not show. The First amendment, freedom of speech, amendment two, the right to bear arms, and amendment four, protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. These three amendments are a major factor in daily lives for citizens.
The United States Constitution is the law of the United States. It is the foundation of this country and the most important document in its history. It provides the guidelines for the government and citizens of the United States. The Constitution will unquestionably continue to carry us into the 22nd century, just as it has for over two hundred years. The principles of the Constitution remain strong to this day, especially with respect to our government and to the Bill of Rights. To terminate the Constitution will essentially serve to undo two hundred years of history. If anything were to be changed about the Constitution, it would be the expansion of its principles, such as the growth of individuals’ rights.
In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to end racial discrimination in employment, institutions like hospitals and schools, and privately owned public accommodations In 1965, congress returned suffrage to black southerners, by passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Foner 926). In the case of Loving v. Virginia (1967), the Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional (Foner 951). Because of the civil rights movement in the sixties, minorities gained more rights than they had prior to the 1960s. While the 1960s were a time of advancement for minorities, it was also a time of advancement for women. In 1963, Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which outlawed discrimination in the workplace based on a person’s gender (Foner 944).
I won’t tell you how you’re wrong, but I will remind you of two things: First the FBI, at Waco, got their asses handed to them to begin with, and then in an unconstitutional move, condoned by the White House (Democratic Socialists) they employed the Military (an absolute violation of law, they called it limited assistance by national guard, not restrained by the Posse Comitatus Act) to first overcome and then Murder 76 Americans, many children. Like so many laws, after they are broken by those who make them, government, they front loads public opinion and withholds their illegal actions from the public and courts.
I suppose the Servicemen Readjustment Act of 1944 -- commonly known as the GI bill -- played no role in the advancement of the middle class and the economy?