The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
The GI Bill (more formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act) contributed greatly to the postwar economic boom in the United States. The bill passed in 1944 with the strong support of President Franklin Roosevelt and Congress. This notable piece of legislation offered a well-deserved reward for veterans returning to the home front from the battlefield: money for education and low-interest loans for home purchases, new businesses, and fledgling farms. The bill pumped millions of dollars of government funds into the home front economy as the war came to a close. The sixteen million returning veterans and their families made up one-third of the U.S. population; as they spent this government money, it helped millions of nonveterans by creating jobs in construction, manufacturing, and retail sales.
The GI Bill also created social change in the United States. More than half of the veterans, almost eight million, took advantage of the bill's education or training benefits. They enrolled in high schools, trade schools, and colleges. In 1947 half of all college students were veterans. In 1949 three times as many college degrees were awarded as in 1940. The bill had put the cost of a college education within reach of many more people. With more education, veterans were able to find higher-paying jobs and could better afford to start a family. This trend led to a great postwar baby boom and a period of widespread prosperity in the nation.