Talk:G.I. Bill
How about "GI"? and: "G. I."-->"G.I."?
I notice that the use of "GI" w/o periods is quite common out there (like on the illustration in this very article), so we might consider using that insted of the punctuated variant.
Also, if sticking with a punctuated variant, shouldn't we rather use "G.I." w/o a space in between the letters? Looks much better IMO, and perhaps it is just as grammatically correct? --Wernher 20:31, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
- Hmm, on second thought, maybe we should just stick with the present article name--G. I. Bill of Rights. I'll make a few more redirects. --Wernher 15:28, 24 Feb 2005 (UTC)
== The term 'democratized' seems a bit offensive for all the reasons stated on the page 'African Americans and the GI-bill'. Perhaps it could be clarified by saying that it helped the white middle class become upwardly mobile while leaving blacks behind in the inner-cities?
Hmm...
The whites had introduced racial policies to shut out African Americans from suburban communities but it should be argued that Amendment 14 guarantees the rights of all citizens of United States: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Of course African Americans buying suburban homes not unconstitutional! So what is written is simply fact.
It is only the barriers set by property companies that bar African Americans buying houses. Then the governments did not stop this. Sigh!
Concerned 07:33, 1 February 2006 (UTC)
Suburbs
The article on the GI Bill makes the assumption that there are cities and suburban towns, and the suburbs were populated entirely from the urban neighborhoods. While this might explain what became known as the "white flight" phenomenon of the 1960s and 1970s, the late 1940s and 1950s were a different era.
During WWII there was a population shift from the rural to old and new manufacturing centers. In addition, many people decided to move to California, which had suburban communities surrounding the defense plants. With the return of millions of GIs in 1945, the demand for housing outstripped availability. The GI Bill, signed by FDR, was intended to provide a smooth social transition from war time to peace time and not to perpetuate historical patterns of discrimination (in fact the home loans specifically prohibited discrimination).
Not all suburban communities were segregated or restricted on ethnic lines, and the newer housing developments tended to be open to diversity. Many former GIs wanted to live in affordable detached houses close to schools, parks, and libraries. They wanted quiet neighborhoods, without crime and traffic, with room for lawns and gardens. The suburbs were perfect for these young families because these communities offered the appeal of the small rural towns with the conveniences of modern cities.
The urban political and social establishment immediately saw a challenge to their traditional position of power and authority, but could do little to actually stop the growth of the suburbs. The old political machines and union bosses were dismayed at how quickly suburbanites came to see itself as a post war middle class distinct from the pre-war working class, and the urban and academic intellectuals came out against what they saw as a sterile new suburban culture uninterested in the elite arts. The suburbanites were unaffected by, if not actually unaware of, this criticism, and instead went about raising families and having barbecues.
Mergefrom
I added the Mergefrom tag for a bunch of articles (to which I added mergeto tags.) All of the proposed-merge articles are short and with little relevance to anything other than the larger G.I. Bill. It appears that they should all be merged into this article.
Separately, shouldn't this article be renamed "Servicemen's Readjustment etc etc..." ? Paul 04:20, 28 May 2006 (UTC)
Did it ever occur to you that the reason I made the information box? if you merge all these articles into one massivley big one, then individuals will get lost and overwhelm in information overload. Beside, Tutition assistance is a benefit but not a guarentee, just something to sweeten the pot. Paul.Paquette