Bonus Army

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bonus-army

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the number of demonstrators?Approximately 43,000 individuals, including about 17,000 World War I veterans
2. What is the primary year of protest?1932
3. What was the Bonus Army and why did they march to Washington D.C.?The Bonus Army was a group of World War I veterans who marched to Washington D.C. in 1932 to ask for the money promised to them as a bonus. They wanted the money right away because many were struggling during the Great Depression.
4. Who led the Bonus Army and how many people were in the group?The group was led by Walter W. Waters, a former sergeant. About 43,000 people, including 17,000 veterans and their families, joined the march and set up camps in the city.

World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924: Legislation that awarded bonuses to WWI veterans, payable in 1945, with interest.
Bonus Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.): The name adopted by the Bonus Army marchers, echoing the American Expeditionary Forces of WWI.
Great Depression: A severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939, marked by mass unemployment and financial hardship.
New Deal: A series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939.