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The G. I. Bill of Rights or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 provided for college or vocational education for returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as GIs or G. I.s) as well as one year of unemployment compensation. It also provided loans for returning veterans to buy homes and start businesses.
History
The G. I. Bill is considered to be the last piece of New Deal legislation. However, the bill which President Franklin D. Roosevelt initially proposed was not as far reaching. The G. I. Bill was created to prevent a repeat of the Bonus March of 1932 and a relapse into the Great Depression after World War II ended. The American Legion (a veterans group) is essentially responsible for many of the bill's provisions. The Legion managed to have the bill apply to all who served in the armed services, including African-Americans and women.
The fact that the G. I. Bill paid for a G. I.'s entire education had encouraged many universities across the country to expand enrollment. For example, the University of Michigan had under 10,000 students prior to the war. In 1948 their enrollment was well over 30,000. Syracuse University also embraced the spirit of the Bill and saw their enrollment skyrocket from approx. 6,000 before war to 19,000 students in 1947.
Another provision was known as the 52–20 clause. This enabled all former servicemen to receive $20 once a week for 52 weeks a year while they were looking for work. Less than 20 percent of the money set aside for the 52–20 Club (as it was known) was distributed. Rather, most returning servicemen quickly found jobs or pursued higher education.
An important provision of the G. I. Bill was low interest home loans for servicemen. This enabled millions of American families to move out of urban apartments and into suburban homes. Prior to the war the suburbs tended to be the homes of the wealthy and upper class. Although black servicemen were eligible for these loans they tended to remain in the inner cities or in rural areas because many suburban communities using racial segregation did not sell homes to African-Americans and other minorities.
As a whole the bill helped to democratize the "American Dream." The G. I. Bill of Rights has since been modified but still remains on the books.
MGIB Comparison Chart
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See also
External links
Legal history of the United States | Military of the United States | World War II politics | Education in the United States | 1944 in law | United States federal education legislation
"G.I. Bill of Rights"