FDR signs G.I. Bill 1944
On this day in 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs
the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to
compensate returning members of the armed services–known as G.I.s–for
their efforts in World War II.
As the last of its sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt’s
administration created the G.I. Bill–officially the Servicemen’s
Readjustment Act of 1944–hoping to avoid a relapse into the Great
Depression after the war ended. FDR particularly wanted to prevent a
repeat of the Bonus March of 1932, when 20,000 unemployed veterans and
their families flocked in protest to Washington. The American Legion, a
veteran’s organization, successfully fought for many of the provisions
included in the bill, which gave returning servicemen access to
unemployment compensation, low-interest home and business loans,
and–most importantly–funding for education.
By giving veterans money for tuition, living expenses, books,
supplies and equipment, the G.I. Bill effectively transformed higher
education in America. Before the war, college had been an option for
only 10-15 percent of young Americans, and university campuses had
become known as a haven for the most privileged classes. By 1947, in
contrast, vets made up half of the nation’s college enrollment; three
years later, nearly 500,000 Americans graduated from college, compared
with 160,000 in 1939.
As educational institutions opened their doors to this diverse new
group of students, overcrowded classrooms and residences prompted
widespread improvement and expansion of university facilities and
teaching staffs. An array of new vocational courses were developed
across the country, including advanced training in education,
agriculture, commerce, mining and fishing–skills that had previously
been taught only informally.
The G.I. Bill became one of the major forces that drove an economic
expansion in America that lasted 30 years after World War II. Only 20
percent of the money set aside for unemployment compensation under the
bill was given out, as most veterans found jobs or pursued higher
education. Low interest home loans enabled millions of American families
to move out of urban centers and buy or build homes outside the city,
changing the face of the suburbs. Over 50 years, the impact of the G.I.
Bill was enormous, with 20 million veterans and dependents using the
education benefits and 14 million home loans guaranteed, for a total
federal investment of $67 billion. Among the millions of Americans who
have taken advantage of the bill are former Presidents George H.W. Bush
and Gerald Ford, former Vice President Al Gore and entertainers Johnny
Cash, Ed McMahon, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood.
(More Events on This Day in History)
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Civil War
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Cold War
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Crime
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Disaster
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General Interest
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Hollywood
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Literary
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Music
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Old West
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Presidential
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Sports
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Vietnam War
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World War I
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World War II
- 1941 Germany launches Operation Barbarossa—the invasion of Russia
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