1944
FDR Signs G.I. Bill
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.