With its help, I was able to finish a B.A. and an M.A.
From the Writer's Almanac:
President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law on this date in 1944. It was formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. The newspapers barely covered the story, since they were occupied with the Allied invasion of Europe at the time. The bill had started because of worries that soldiers would come home from the war and be unable to find work; it was a form of unemployment insurance. It also offered small business or home loans at low interest and with no down payment requirement. In the process of drafting the bill, the congressional committee thought it would also be a good idea to offer to pay for college, for veterans who wanted to go. At the time, no one really thought that soldiers — most of whom were from farm or factory backgrounds — would be interested in higher education. Only 10 percent of Americans had gone to college before the war, and it was estimated that the rate would hold for veterans as well. But in the first year after the war, about a million returning soldiers applied for the money that the GI Bill offered them.
The original GI Bill ended in 1956, and during its run, nearly 8 million veterans made use of its education and training opportunities, and the 10 percent college graduation rate ballooned to 50 percent. In addition to getting an education, about 2.5 million people took out low-interest home loans backed by the Veterans Administration.
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Thread: Happy Birthday G.I. Bill
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Originally Posted by clinthopson
