Adequate compensation: United States veteran benefits and organizations, the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights, and University of Houston veteran students

This thesis covers four various subjects related to the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights: a history of United States veterans' benefits from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War I early veterans' organizations a history of the 1944 Selective Serviceman's Readjustment Act and a case study of some University of Houston World War II student veterans who elected one of the six provisions provided in the 1944 legislation---education. Popular belief contends that the bill was revolutionary, but details emerged that revealed the process was democratic in nature and well earned. University of Houston veterans from 1944--1947 provide an excellent example of such democracy, and the university is more representative of national institutions than previous works covering only top ten university veterans. This thesis demonstrates that the 1944 bill materialized due to past experiences and organizational efforts and naturally culminated in the World War II benefits.