Bonus Army: Scarce VOTE YES FOR THE BONUS pinback

Pinback button advocating passage of the World War Adjusted Compensation Act, c. 1924. Commonly known as the Bonus Act, the legislation granted a benefit to World War I veterans in the form of a certificate that could not be redeemed until 1945. With the onset of the Great Depression, many vets were out of work and by 1932 organized into what became known as the Bonus Army, demanding immediate cash payment of their certificates. Upwards of 40,000 staged a march on Washington, and then encamped on the mall for months until forcibly evicted by the army at the direction of President Hoover.