Soon after World War I, the U.S. government promised its servicemen bonuses for their time in uniform, beginning in 1945. When the American stock market crashed in 1929, however, out of work veterans living through the Great Depression became desperate for relief, and by 1932 loudly demanded that their bonuses be paid immediately. Learn from historian John R. Maass how thousands of veterans marched on Washington, D.C., to plea for their pensions, and the violent reaction their protest provoked.

 

Dr. John R. Maass is an education specialist and historian at the National Museum of the United States Army. He received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in early U.S. history and military history. His most recent book is “From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War” (2025).

 

Click here to register for the Nov. 4, 2025 virtual program