DOCSLIB.ORG

Harry S. Truman & Civil Rights

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Harry S. Truman & Civil Rights Harry S. Truman & Civil Rights Political Pragmatism or Moral Imperative? Gertine Hofmeijer (3197476) Master Thesis, American Studies 15 June 2012 Damian A. Pargas Number of Words: 40.695 Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 Harry S. Truman’s Background and Personal Life ................................................................................................................................... 12 Harry Truman’s Ancestors ....................................................................................................................... 12 Harry Truman’s Childhood ...................................................................................................................... 17 Harry Truman in the Army: World War .................................................................................................. 19 Influence of Religion ................................................................................................................................. 21 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 25 The Geopolitical Context ................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 The Influence of the Second World War and the “Double V” Campaign .................................................. 26 The Influence of Soviet Propaganda ......................................................................................................... 30 The United States and the Third World: Anti-Colonialism ....................................................................... 33 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 36 Domestic Issues ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his Politics ............................................................................................... 38 Second Great Migration: Postwar Racial Tensions ................................................................................... 43 Black Soldiers Returning From War: Lynching in the United States ........................................................ 44 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 47 From County Judge to President .................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Truman’s Introduction to Politics ............................................................................................................. 48 The Democratic Party .............................................................................................................................. 53 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 56 The President’s Committee on Civil Rights, 1946 ..................................................................................................................................... 57 The Decision ............................................................................................................................................. 57 Truman’s Motives for Establishing the Civil Rights Committee................................................................ 62 Reaction to the Report and Critique on the President ............................................................................... 66 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 71 Integration of the Armed Forces, 1948 ........................................................................................................................................................ 72 Racism in the American Army, Before the Decision .................................................................................. 72 Reaction to Executive Order 9981............................................................................................................. 77 Truman & Executive Order 9981, 1948 .................................................................................................... 80 1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 83 The Fair Deal ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 85 Its Origins ................................................................................................................................................ 86 Fair Deal and Civil Rights ........................................................................................................................ 88 Fair Deal and its Criticism ........................................................................................................................ 91 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 95 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 96 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 2 Introduction “As Americans, we believe that every man should be free to live his life as he wishes. He should be limited only by his responsibility to his fellow countrymen. If this freedom is to be more than a dream, each man must be guaranteed equality of opportunity. The only limit to an American's achievement should be his ability, his industry and his character. The rewards for his effort should be determined only by these truly relevant qualities. Our immediate task is to remove the last remnants of the barriers, which stand between millions of our citizens and their birthright. There is no justifiable reason for discrimination because of ancestry, or religion. Or race, or color.”1 These words were spoken by Harry S. Truman during his speech to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in June 1947. Many scholars over the years have focused on Harry Truman and the way he engaged in the civil rights struggle during his presidency. The Truman Library Institute in Independence, Missouri, organized a meeting in 1968 which attracted various scholars to discuss Truman’s achievements during his presidency regarding the issue of civil rights. This specific conference had been held a couple of times in the past and the historians present always agreed on the notion that Truman made a great contribution to the civil rights issue, based upon his personal principles and moral convictions. But in the year 1968, for the first time, a revisionist approach could be heard. Some argued that perhaps Truman was not a morally influenced man who wanted to improve the lives of African Americans. Some put forward the idea that Truman perhaps was mostly guided by political motives and opportunities, which would make him seem like a president who put political pragmatism first. However, at that particular time, not much research had been done. The scholars who were present at this meeting did not seem to have much academic knowledge on the subject, simply because of the fact that certain sources were not available yet. This changed during the early 1970’s. A collection of books and articles was published, based upon thorough research. During these years, a division became visible, namely: the differences between the liberal approach and the revisionist (radical) approach. Revisionists often were appreciative, but also claim that Truman’s efforts were meager and hesitantly undertaken. They emphasize the political motives and interpret the situation from a 1 PBS Online, “President Truman's Address to the NAACP, June 28, 1947”, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/truman/psources/ps_naacp.html (accessed 7 June 2012). 3 late 1960’s perspective. Revisionist scholar, William C. Berman claims in his book The Politics of Civil Rights in the Truman Administration (1970), that Truman was both challenged and threatened by the issue of civil rights and that he responded in such a way as to obtain political benefit for him and his party. He also argues that issuing the Executive Order 9981 was not an exercise in good will, but rather the product of political pressure. Truman saw the necessity to hold the country together, but moved only because he had no choice: Black vote and the demands
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Truman, Congress and the Struggle for War and Peace In
    TRUMAN, CONGRESS AND THE STRUGGLE FOR WAR AND PEACE IN KOREA A Dissertation by LARRY WAYNE BLOMSTEDT Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2008 Major Subject: History TRUMAN, CONGRESS AND THE STRUGGLE FOR WAR AND PEACE IN KOREA A Dissertation by LARRY WAYNE BLOMSTEDT Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Chair of Committee, Terry H. Anderson Committee Members, Jon R. Bond H. W. Brands John H. Lenihan David Vaught Head of Department, Walter L. Buenger May 2008 Major Subject: History iii ABSTRACT Truman, Congress and the Struggle for War and Peace in Korea. (May 2008) Larry Wayne Blomstedt, B.S., Texas State University; M.S., Texas A&M University-Kingsville Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Terry H. Anderson This dissertation analyzes the roles of the Harry Truman administration and Congress in directing American policy regarding the Korean conflict. Using evidence from primary sources such as Truman’s presidential papers, communications of White House staffers, and correspondence from State Department operatives and key congressional figures, this study suggests that the legislative branch had an important role in Korean policy. Congress sometimes affected the war by what it did and, at other times, by what it did not do. Several themes are addressed in this project. One is how Truman and the congressional Democrats failed each other during the war. The president did not dedicate adequate attention to congressional relations early in his term, and was slow to react to charges of corruption within his administration, weakening his party politically.
    [Show full text]
  • Fortress of Liberty: the Rise and Fall of the Draft and the Remaking of American Law
    Fortress of Liberty: The Rise and Fall of the Draft and the Remaking of American Law Jeremy K. Kessler∗ Introduction: Civil Liberty in a Conscripted Age Between 1917 and 1973, the United States fought its wars with drafted soldiers. These conscript wars were also, however, civil libertarian wars. Waged against the “militaristic” or “totalitarian” enemies of civil liberty, each war embodied expanding notions of individual freedom in its execution. At the moment of their country’s rise to global dominance, American citizens accepted conscription as a fact of life. But they also embraced civil liberties law – the protections of freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and procedural due process – as the distinguishing feature of American society, and the ultimate justification for American military power. Fortress of Liberty tries to make sense of this puzzling synthesis of mass coercion and individual freedom that once defined American law and politics. It also argues that the collapse of that synthesis during the Cold War continues to haunt our contemporary legal order. Chapter 1: The World War I Draft Chapter One identifies the WWI draft as a civil libertarian institution – a legal and political apparatus that not only constrained but created new forms of expressive freedom. Several progressive War Department officials were also early civil libertarian innovators, and they built a system of conscientious objection that allowed for the expression of individual difference and dissent within the draft. These officials, including future Supreme Court Justices Felix Frankfurter and Harlan Fiske Stone, believed that a powerful, centralized government was essential to the creation of a civil libertarian nation – a nation shaped and strengthened by its diverse, engaged citizenry.
    [Show full text]
  • Harry S Truman U.S
    National Park Service Harry S Truman U.S. Department of the Interior Harry S Truman National Historic Site Truman & Civil Rights Given his background, Harry Truman was an unlikely champion of civil rights. Where he grew up—the border state of Missouri—segregation was accepted and largely unquestioned. Both his maternal and paternal grandparents had even owned slaves. Truman’s background notwithstanding, some would say it was Truman who energized the modern civil rights movement, paving the way for future legislative successes of the 1960s. Truman’s Missouri Roots Harry Truman’s civil rights views as President Truman’s experience as an officer in World War surprised many because they seemed to contradict I and post-war business dealings with a Jewish his upbringing. Truman grew up in a former slave partner also broadened his perspectives. By 1940, as state where his small-town, rural surroundings he sought reelection to the US Senate, his viewpoint included segregation and subordination for many of had matured. its citizens. In a speech in Sedalia, Missouri, he said, “I believe Black residents lived in a separate section of town, in the brotherhood of man, not merely the brother- attended a different school, and were prevented hood of white men, but the brotherhood of all men from shopping at most stores. In his early letters, before law. I believe in the Constitution and the the young Harry Truman reflected on his back- Declaration of Independence. In giving the Negroes ground by frankly admitting prejudices against the rights which are theirs, we are only acting in ac- blacks and Asians.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Twenty-Six the Cold War, 1945–1952
    CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX THE COLD WAR, 1945–1952 CHAPTER OVERVIEW This chapter covers the beginnings of the Cold War under the Truman presidency as it affected both foreign and domestic policies. Peace after World War II was marred by a return to the 1917 rivalry of the United States and the Soviet Union. Truman and his advisors introduced the basic Cold War policies of containment in the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. With the victory of the communists in China and the outbreak of the Korean War, America extended the Cold War to Asia as well. The Cold War prompted the U.S. to rebuild its World War II enemies, Germany and Japan, as counterweights to the Soviets. At home, Americans wanted to return to normal by bringing the troops back home, spending for consumer goods and re-establishing family life, but many changing social patterns brought anxieties. A second Red Scare was caused by the Cold War rhetoric of a bipartisan foreign policy and Truman’s loyalty program, but Senator Joseph McCarthy’s tactics symbolized the era. Defense spending increased and the American economy became depend- ent on it to maintain recovery. Truman tried to extend elements of the New Deal in his Fair Deal but with minimal success. CHAPTER OBJECTIVES After reading the chapter and following the study suggestions given, students should be able to: 1. Illustrate the effects of the Red Scare by discussing the college campus community after World War II. 2. Trace the development of the American policy of containment as applied to Europe and to Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • A Counterintelligence Reader, Volume 2 Chapter 1, CI in World
    CI in World War II 113 CHAPTER 1 Counterintelligence In World War II Introduction President Franklin Roosevelts confidential directive, issued on 26 June 1939, established lines of responsibility for domestic counterintelligence, but failed to clearly define areas of accountability for overseas counterintelligence operations" The pressing need for a decision in this field grew more evident in the early months of 1940" This resulted in consultations between the President, FBI Director J" Edgar Hoover, Director of Army Intelligence Sherman Miles, Director of Naval Intelligence Rear Admiral W"S" Anderson, and Assistant Secretary of State Adolf A" Berle" Following these discussions, Berle issued a report, which expressed the Presidents wish that the FBI assume the responsibility for foreign intelligence matters in the Western Hemisphere, with the existing military and naval intelligence branches covering the rest of the world as the necessity arose" With this decision of authority, the three agencies worked out the details of an agreement, which, roughly, charged the Navy with the responsibility for intelligence coverage in the Pacific" The Army was entrusted with the coverage in Europe, Africa, and the Canal Zone" The FBI was given the responsibility for the Western Hemisphere, including Canada and Central and South America, except Panama" The meetings in this formative period led to a proposal for the organization within the FBI of a Special Intelligence Service (SIS) for overseas operations" Agreement was reached that the SIS would act
    [Show full text]
  • Conservative Movement
    Conservative Movement How did the conservative movement, routed in Barry Goldwater's catastrophic defeat to Lyndon Johnson in the 1964 presidential campaign, return to elect its champion Ronald Reagan just 16 years later? What at first looks like the political comeback of the century becomes, on closer examination, the product of a particular political moment that united an unstable coalition. In the liberal press, conservatives are often portrayed as a monolithic Right Wing. Close up, conservatives are as varied as their counterparts on the Left. Indeed, the circumstances of the late 1980s -- the demise of the Soviet Union, Reagan's legacy, the George H. W. Bush administration -- frayed the coalition of traditional conservatives, libertarian advocates of laissez-faire economics, and Cold War anti- communists first knitted together in the 1950s by William F. Buckley Jr. and the staff of the National Review. The Reagan coalition added to the conservative mix two rather incongruous groups: the religious right, primarily provincial white Protestant fundamentalists and evangelicals from the Sunbelt (defecting from the Democrats since the George Wallace's 1968 presidential campaign); and the neoconservatives, centered in New York and led predominantly by cosmopolitan, secular Jewish intellectuals. Goldwater's campaign in 1964 brought conservatives together for their first national electoral effort since Taft lost the Republican nomination to Eisenhower in 1952. Conservatives shared a distaste for Eisenhower's "modern Republicanism" that largely accepted the welfare state developed by Roosevelt's New Deal and Truman's Fair Deal. Undeterred by Goldwater's defeat, conservative activists regrouped and began developing institutions for the long haul.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuskegee Airmen Chronology Daniel L. Haulman Organizational
    TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY DANIEL L. HAULMAN ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY BRANCH AIR FORCE HISTORICAL RESEARCH AGENCY MAXWELL AFB, AL 36112-6424 14 November 2011 1 TUSKEGEE AIRMEN CHRONOLOGY Dr. Daniel L. Haulman Chief, Organization History Division Air Force Historical Research Agency Expanded Edition: 30 September 2011 27 June 1939: Congress passed the Civilian Pilot Training Act. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies.) September-October 1939: The Civil Aeronautics Administration received Tuskegee Institute’s application to be a civilian pilot training institution, and after Tuskegee obtained permission to use the Montgomery Airport as a facility, the application was approved. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies) Late February 1940: The Civil Aeronautics Authority approved Tuskegee’s Kennedy Field for Civilian Pilot Training, after improvements to the field, eliminating Tuskegee Institute’s need to use the Montgomery Airport. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies) 25 March 1940: George A. Wiggs arrived in Tuskegee to administer the standard written examination required of all Civilian Pilot Training students. Every student who took the examination passed, surpassing the passing rate of other schools in the South. (Robert J. Jakeman, The Divided Skies.) 16 September 1940: Congress passed a Selective Service Act which required all the armed services to enlist “Negroes”. On the same day, the War Department announced that the Civil Aeronautics Authority, in cooperation with the U.S. Army, would start the development of “colored personnel” for the aviation service. (Public Law 783, 16 September 1940; War Department Press Release, 16 September 1940; 99th Fighter Squadron summary history in the lineage and honors folder of the 99th Flying Training Squadron at the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), Maxwell AFB, AL) Late October 1940: In a press release, President Franklin D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Surprisingly Contentious History of Executive Orders | Huffpost  
    4/2/2020 The Surprisingly Contentious History Of Executive Orders | HuffPost Ben Feuer, Contributor Chairman, California Appellate Law Group The Surprisingly Contentious History Of Executive Orders Cries of “unprecedented” executive action on both sides are more histrionic than historical. 02/02/2017 04:59 am ET | Updated Feb 03, 2017 Despite howls that Presidents Trump and Obama both issued “unprecedented” executive orders, presidents have embraced executive actions to enact controversial policies since the dawn of the Republic. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-surprisingly-contentious-history-of-executive-orders_b_58914580e4b04c35d583546e 1/8 4/2/2020 The Surprisingly Contentious History Of Executive Orders | HuffPost NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Recently, USA Today savaged President Trump’s executive orders since taking office, from encouraging Keystone XL approval to altering immigration policy, as an “unprecedented blizzard.” In 2014, the Washington Post raked President Obama for his Deferred Action immigration directives, more commonly called DACA and DAPA, deeming them “unprecedented” and “sweeping,” while Ted Cruz published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal lashing Obama’s “imperial” executive order hiking the minimum wage for federal contractors as one with “no precedent.” A 2009 piece in Mother Jones lamented a President George W. Bush executive order allowing former-presidents and their families to block the release of presidential records as — you guessed it — “unprecedented.” With all the talk of precedent, you might think executive orders historically did little more than set the White House lawn watering schedule. But the reality is that presidents have long employed executive actions to accomplish strikingly controversial objectives without congressional approval.
    [Show full text]
  • 19856492.Pdf
    The Harry S. Truman Library Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to the preservation, advancement, and outreach activities of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, one of our nation’s 12 presidential libraries overseen by the National Archives and Records Administration. Together with its public partner, the Truman Library Institute preserves the enduring legacy of America’s 33rd president to enrich the public’s understanding of history, the presidency, public policy, and citizenship. || executive message DEAR COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS, Harry Truman’s legacy of decisive and principled leadership was frequently in the national spotlight during 2008 as the nation noted the 60th anniversaries of some of President Truman’s most historic acts, including the recognition of Israel, his executive order to desegregate the U.S. Armed Forces, the Berlin Airlift, and the 1948 Whistle Stop campaign. We are pleased to share highlights of the past year, all made possible by your generous support of the Truman Library Institute and our mission to advance the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. • On February 15, the Truman Library opened a new exhibit on Truman’s decision to recognize the state of Israel. Truman and Israel: Inside the Decision was made possible by The Sosland Foundation and The Jacob & Frances O. Brown Family Fund. A traveling version of the exhibit currently is on display at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. • The nation bade a sad farewell to Margaret Truman Daniel earlier this year. A public memorial The Harry S. Truman service was held at the Truman Library on February 23, 2008; she and her husband, Clifton Daniel, were laid to rest in the Courtyard near the President and First Lady.
    [Show full text]
  • Harry S. Truman and the Fight Against Racial Discrimination
    “Everything in My Power”: Harry S. Truman and the Fight Against Racial Discrimination by Joseph Pierro Thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in History Peter Wallenstein, Chairman Crandall Shifflett Daniel B. Thorp 3 May 2004 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: civil rights, discrimination, equality, race, segregation, Truman “Everything in My Power”: Harry S. Truman and the Fight Against Racial Discrimination by Joseph Pierro Abstract Any attempt to tell the story of federal involvement in the dismantling of America’s formalized systems of racial discrimination that positions the judiciary as the first branch of government to engage in this effort, identifies the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision as the beginning of the civil rights movement, or fails to recognize the centrality of President Harry S. Truman in the narrative of racial equality is in error. Driven by an ever-increasing recognition of the injustices of racial discrimination, Truman offered a comprehensive civil rights program to Congress on 2 February 1948. When his legislative proposals were rejected, he employed a unilateral policy of action despite grave political risk, and freed subsequent presidential nominees of the Democratic party from its southern segregationist bloc by winning re-election despite the States’ Rights challenge of Strom Thurmond. The remainder of his administration witnessed a multi-faceted attack on prejudice involving vetoes, executive orders, public pronouncements, changes in enforcement policies, and amicus briefs submitted by his Department of Justice. The southern Democrat responsible for actualizing the promises of America’s ideals of freedom for its black citizens is Harry Truman, not Lyndon Johnson.
    [Show full text]
  • 1950'S Presentation
    Truman’s Fair Deal: • 81st Congress did not embrace his deal • Did raise minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents/hr • Repeal of Taft-Hartley Act: a law that restricted labor unions • Approved expansion of Social Security coverage and raised Social Security benefits • Passed National Housing Act of 1949; provided housing for low-income families and increased Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance. • Did NOT pass national health insurance or to provide CHAPTERS 18 & 19 subsidies for farmers or federal aid for schools 1 2 Truman’s Fair Deal: GI Bill: • Fair Deal was an extension of FDR’s New ’ Deal but he did not have the support in • Official name: Servicemen s congress FDR did. Readjustment Act • Congress felt they were too expensive, too • Provided generous loans to veterans to restrictive to business and economy in help them establish businesses, buy general. homes, & attend college • Majority of both houses for Congress were • New housing was more affordable Republican; Truman is a Democrat during the postwar period than at any other time in American history. • Still in use today!! 3 4 1 22nd Amendment to the U.S. THE COLD WAR Constitution 1951 •CONFLICT BETWEEN THE U.S.S.R. & THE • No person shall be elected to the office of the UNITED STATES WHICH BEGAN AFTER WWII President more than twice, and no person who IN RESPONSE TO COMMUNIST EXPANSION. has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to •COMMUNISM WAS SEEN AS A MORTAL which some other person was elected President THREAT TO THE EXISTENCE OF THE shall be elected to the office of the President WESTERN DEMOCRATIC TRADITION.
    [Show full text]
  • Draft Dissertation
    Dissention in the Ranks—Dissent Within U.S. Civil-Military Relations During the Truman Administration: A Historical Approach by David A. “DAM” Martin B.A. in History, May 1989, Virginia Military Institute M.A. in Military Studies—Land Warfare, June 2002, American Military University M.B.A., June 2014, Strayer University A Dissertation submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education January 19, 2018 Dissertation directed by Andrea J. Casey Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of the George Washington University certifies that David A. “DAM” Martin has passed the final examination for the degree of Doctor of Education as of September 22, 2017. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. Dissention in the Ranks—Dissent Within U.S. Civil-Military Relations During the Truman Administration: A Historical Approach David A. “DAM” Martin Dissertation Research Committee: Andrea J. Casey, Associate Professor of Human and Organizational Learning, Dissertation Director David R. Schwandt, Professor Emeritus of Human and Organizational Learning, Committee Member Stamatina McGrath, Adjunct Instructor, Department of History, George Mason University, Committee Member ii © Copyright 2018 by David A. Martin All rights reserved iii Dedication Dedicated to those who have Served honorably, Dissented when the cause was just, and paid dearly for it. iv Acknowledgments I want to thank my dissertation chair, Dr. Andrea Casey, for her outstanding advice and counsel throughout this educative journey. Thank you to my dissertation committee member, Dr.
    [Show full text]