June 22: The G.I. Bill (1944)
Prayer Idea
Pray for veterans who are returning to civilian life.
History Note
After the Civil War, the federal government provided pensions to support soldiers and their families for many decades. (The last child of a Civil War soldier who received a pension died in 2020 at age 90.)
After World War I, many veterans returning to the United States did not receive the support they felt they deserved. Veterans formed the American Legion in 1919 in part to advocate for greater support for their comrades, particularly those who had become disabled.
During World War II, the federal government began exploring ways to provide more services to veterans returning home from that war. Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act in 1944, and President Franklin Roosevelt signed it on June 22, 1944. A publicist for the American Legion called it “the G.I. Bill of Rights,” and it became known as the G.I. Bill.
This legislation created several benefit programs for veterans:
tuition for college or vocational school
government guarantees for home, farm, and business loans
unemployment compensation and job counseling services
extra support for veterans who had become disabled while in the service
By the time the original G.I. Bill programs ended in 1956, nearly 8 million veterans had received educational benefits and 4 million had received home loans. Though black veterans were theoretically eligible to utilize the benefits of the G.I. bill, many of them faced prejudice and discrimination when they tried to attend college or purchase homes.
The U.S. government has continued to support veterans with new versions of the G.I. Bill in recent decades.
This photo shows President Roosevelt signing the G.I. Bill legislation in the Oval Office on June 22, 1944. Courtesy the FDR Library Photo Collection.
Learn More
See how the American Legion worked with Congress to create the G.I. Bill.
Find other resources at Homeschool History.
