In 1932, a group of World War 1 veterans known as the Bonus Army converged on Washington DC to demand payment they’d been promised for their WW1 service. Reports estimate that as many as 60,000 jobless veterans and their families comprised this Bonus Army.

This was in the heart of the Great Depression, and many were jobless, penniless, and very desperate. The Bonus Army built a makeshift city in the Anacostia area of Washington, DC, and lived there for nearly two months. During the day, they marched throughout the streets of Washington DC and met with senators, demanding their payment but the Bonus Bill was defeated in the Senate repeatedly.

After Herbert Hoover ordered the evacuation of the Bonus Army from DC, things turned violent when the veterans began fighting back against the Army and a Capitol riot occurred.