"Camp Marks" Bonus Army Encampment in Anacostia Park
1932
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This photograph shows a "Bonus Army" encampment on the Anacostia flats in Washington, DC, in 1932. The group, made up of thousands of World War I veterans calling themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force (BEF), came to Washington to demonstrate for immediate payment of a bonus promised to them by the Government eight years earlier. After Congress failed to pass legislation allowing the payout, the Government ordered protesters home. Police tried to clear the marchers but were unsuccessful. The military took over under the command of Douglas MacArthur. Violence ensued, with the military using gas grenades and burning down shanties lining the streets.
This primary source comes from the Records of the National Park Service.
Full Citation: Photograph 79-LS-16-6-B; Lantern Slide of the Bonus Army Encampment; 1932; Scenes of Washington, DC, 1921 - 1936; Records of the National Park Service, Record Group 79; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/lantern-slide-bonus-army, May 4, 2024]