Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill)

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly called the GI Bill, was one of the most important—and popular—federal programs in American history. This legislation provided generous benefits to help veterans buy homes or farms, attend college or vocational school, pay living expenses while searching for employment, and ensure access to essential medical care or therapy to heal wounds or overcome disabilities. These benefits changed individual lives and—just as important—transformed American society. The economy boomed, suburbs burgeoned, and colleges and universities expanded because of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. In reality, this legislation created a large federal welfare program, but one without most of the liabilities that critics often associated with government efforts to improve social conditions. Even President Ronald Reagan, an unrelenting opponent of big government, declared, “No investment our government has ever made returned better dividends” (Reagan, vol. 1, p. 588).