The desperation of the Great Depression turned violent on July 28, 1932, when federal troops forcibly cleared thousands of World War I veterans from Washington, D.C. Known as the “Bonus Army,” the marchers—along with many wives and children—had camped on the Anacostia Flats, hoping Congress would authorize early payment of their bonus certificates.
When Congress refused and the remaining protesters would not disperse, President Herbert Hoover authorized the Army to remove them. Troops led by General Douglas MacArthur, with support from Major Dwight D. Eisenhower and Major George S. Patton, advanced with cavalry, infantry, tear gas, and tanks, and the encampment went up in flames.
The images of soldiers driving out veterans and burning their camp shocked the country and deepened public anger at Hoover’s administration. The Bonus Army became one of the most enduring symbols of the human cost of the Great Depression.
