The Great Depression caused Americans to drastically change the way they lived in order to survive and to provide food and shelter for their families. American veterans from the First World War joined the economic struggle. The men needed immediate relief from their government and Anacostia Flats is the place where they congregated to demand it.

Anacostia Flats, located along the Anacostia River, is the site of the 1932 "Bonus Army" march on Washington D.C. Over twenty thousand WWI veterans traveled to D.C. and solicited Congress for payment of the military service bonuses Congress promised them in 1924 under the World War Adjusted Compensation Act. Congress originally issued the bonuses in the form of certificates, not redeemable until 1945, but the veterans wanted the money immediately. The veterans set up tent cities on Anacostia Flats called 'Hoovervilles'. They resided in these small shacks every night marching all day to and from the Capital Building in hopes of spurring Congress to provide them relief. Congress, angered by the veterans' conduct, finally voted on a bill that agreed to pay the veterans the much sought after bonus; however, it failed in the Senate.

Though the Bonus Army did not receive their service bonus, they set a precedent for future generations of American citizens to demand direct help from their federal government. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the next President of the United States, answered that call and created multiple New Deal programs in an attempt to provide relief to the American people during the Great Depression. The Bonus Army's protest upon Anacostia Flats illustrates the desperation of the American people during the Great Depression, especially the soldiers who fought to defend their nation abroad.

Narrative by University of West Florida Public History student, Natalie Ray