The GI Bill Transforms Higher Education:

Summary: This section explains the process of which the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, the GI Bill, went through from when it was just a idea to the end result. From as I understand this Bill was passed on June 22, 1944 to insure returning veterans from WW2 that they would have some stability waiting for them when they once again reached the United States. The benefits that were offered to the men and women from the GI Bill were unemployment insurance, loans for business and housing, and payment for higher education including college, graduate studies, and professional and vocational training, Disagreement arouse from the south, some people felt that the African Americans that served in the military should not have the “privilege” to receive the same benefits from the GI Bill as the whites. Along with African Americans the servicewomen were to not getting the full benefits of the bill, mostly because they were unaware that they were even eligible for the benefits. 350,000 women served in the military and yet only 3 percent of the veterans on the GI Bill were GI Jane’s. Change began quickly and by 1947 there were 1,164,000 veterans registered for schooling on the GI Bill. Making more than 49 percent of the student body nationwide veterans. America was changed by the doors that where opened because of the GI Bill, 67,000 doctors, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientist, 450,000 engineers, and 240,000 accountants, where just one result from this opportunity Americans were welcomed home with caused. Three Presidents of the United States were educated off of the GI Bill. The American Legion group wanted to brighten the future of the veterans and in turn even ended up making the government profit off of sending these GI Joes and GI Jane’s on to higher education, the article stated “ for every dollar spent on the GI Bill education benefits, the country got back as much as eight dollars in income taxes”. Overall I would say that this Bill was very successful in broadening the countries understand of potential in the people, and coping with the 16 million men and women that had nowhere to go once they got home.

Question One: Do you think that the job market would have suffered enough to return to the struggle it was in during the Great Depression if the returning veterans did not have the option to keep off the work market and go to school using the benefits of the GI Bill? If not, then how do you believe the economy would have been impacted?

Question Two: Do you think that discrimination was at all diminished during the time that the GI Bill was being used by all races? With all of the races, religions, and material statuses really mixing in a structured environment do you feel this was not only a big step for the present time but impacted the understanding that everyone is capable of the same thing for Americas future as a country?