Executive Order
Executive Order 9981
Ordered equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed services and began the formal desegregation of the military.
Year
1948
Impact
Positive
Status
Active
Party
Democratic Party
Era
Civil Rights Era
Impact Context
A major civil-rights step in desegregating the U.S. military.
What This Policy Did
A major civil-rights step in desegregating the U.S. military.
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Sources
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum • Government
Primary text of Executive Order 9981 stating that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum • Archive
Archival collection on Truman's decision to desegregate the armed forces and the implementation context around the order.