Civil Rights (Truman)

Question 1

Truman’s racist background

Answer 1

Harry Truman, was known to have the prejudices of his community when it came to views of race. He used racial slurs, told racist jokes, opposed sit-ins and intermarriage and called Dr. Martin Luther King a troublemaker.

Question 2

(Late 1946) The President’s Committee on Civil Rights

Answer 2

Harry Truman established “The President’s Committee on Civil Rights.” “I want our Bill of Rights implemented in fact. We have been trying to do this for 150 years. We’re making progress, but we’re not making progress fast enough.” The committee released its report in 1947. Entitled, “To Secure These Rights,” it documented nationwide discrimination in areas such as education, housing, public accommodations, and voting rights.

Question 3

(June 29, 1947) Truman addresses the NAACP

Answer 3

President Truman addressed the NAACP’s 38th Annual Convention, the first president to do so. An audience of 10,000 listened from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Truman declared that the federal government must “take the lead in guaranteeing the civil rights of all Americans.”

Question 4

(Feb 2, 1948) Truman’s 1948 speeches:

Answer 4

Truman took political risk by presenting a civil rights speech to a joint session of Congress. Based on the committee’s findings, he asked Congress to support a civil rights package that included federal protection against lynching, better protection of the right to vote, and a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. These proposals met strong opposition in Congress and led to the splintering of the Democratic Party right before the 1948 presidential election.

Question 5

(1948) Executive Order 9980

Answer 5

Established a fair employment board to eliminate discriminatory hiring within the federal government.

Question 6

(July 26, 1948) Executive Order 9981

Answer 6

Harry Truman made one of the biggest contributions to date for racial integration and equality. In issuing Executive Order 9981 Truman ordered the desegregation of the armed forces. These documents trace what some call the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. By 1954, the Army had disbanded its last all-black unit.