ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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America has a checkered history when it comes to taking care of its war veterans. [Veterans wearing checkered suits]

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And no, that doesn't mean we have a history of playing checkers with them.

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Though that would be fun…

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After World War II, the GI Bill helped returning soldiers go off to college… [Man graduating from college]

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… where they got an education that allowed them to find good jobs.

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After Vietnam however, soldiers were scorned and criticized for fighting in an unpopular war.

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And many Vietnam vets had trouble re-adjusting to society.

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But surely America’s first veterans – soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War for our [Soldiers fighting in Revolutionary War]

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nation’s independence – were treated with the respect and gratitude they deserved, right?

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…Um, turns out, not so much. [Men in costume on stage with no audience]

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See, even though England had lost, it was a country with a strong central government

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and colonies, as well as a known and trusted currency.

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This allowed Great Britain to trade and collect taxes and pay off the debts it had incurred [King George holding a bag of money]

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in the war.

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The new U.S., on the other hand, had, well, none of that.

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And when Revolutionary War veterans – including soldiers, officers, and the women who had [Officers and veterans walk up to army payment desk]

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followed the army as cooks, seamstresses, and nurses – came a-knocking to collect

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the pay they’d been promised, Congress suddenly got a serious case of alligator arms. [Man's arms transform into alligators and closes army payment desk]

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How’s that for a “thank you for your service”?

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With no money to give, Congress offered some veterans land in place of pay.

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But it rarely worked in the veteran’s favor. [Veteran holding a land deed]

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Even the ones who did actually get some land often had to sell it to predatory speculators

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in order to pay off their debts, or to just get some spending cash.

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The Federal Pension Act of 1818 promised to give war veterans a pension of $96 a year.

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But the Act didn’t provide payments to women or African Americans who had served in the army. [Women and African American appear at payment desk and man disappears]

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Everyone who's surprised by that fact, raise your hands!

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…Oh look, no hands.

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And even soldiers who did receive this pension felt that they’d done more for their country [Soldier empties pension bag]

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than their country was doing for them.

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Like this guy.

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This guy is Joseph Plumb Martin.

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He served seven years in the Continental Army.

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In 1830 he published a memoir titled, “A Narrative of [Joseph Martin picks up his book]

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a Revolutionary Soldier."

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Try saying that five times fast…or just five times without needing a nap in between…

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In it, Martin took the government to task for failing to take care of its veterans. [Joseph selling his narrative book]

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Unfortunately, the book didn’t sell in his lifetime.

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Though it did do well when it was eventually republished.

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We’re sure that shortening the title to “Private Yankee Doodle” didn’t have

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anything to do with that…

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Anyway, the nation heeded Martin’s words and today’s veterans face none of the problems

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Martin and his fellow soldiers did 200 years ago. [Joseph looks at newspaper article of iraq/afghanistan war veterans]

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Oh…

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Right.

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Never mind.

Full Transcript