Effects Of Executive Order 9981

On July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 which ended segregation in the Armed Forces. Executive Order 9981 states “It is hereby declared to be the policy of the President that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services.” These were the words that granted everyone in the United States Armed Forces equal treatment despite race, color, or creed. This was made possible by civil rights activists, such as Philip Randolph (Lilley). Their valiant efforts led to the end of discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and played a major role in the creation of EO 9981. Additionally, Roscoe Brown stated that “Executive Order 9981 -- can provide a rationale and a motif to develop the skills of all involved in the enterprise.” These words show the importance of Executive Order 9981. Because of the acts of civil rights activists, among Philip Randolph, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order

Possibly one of the most important figures in desegregating the Armed Forces was A. Philip Randolph, as stated by Kevin Lilley, “he'd played a critical role in desegregating the defense industry.” He was one of the main supporters of the executive order and helped to further the cause of desegregation in the United States Armed Forces. Philip Randolph had also founded a civil rights activist group, in 1925, called the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (Lilley). Randolph used the union that he had created to help further his cause to desegregate the US Armed Forces. However, Philip Randolph isn’t the only one to thank, President Truman also had a major impact on desegregating the military. He was the one who “signed Executive Order 9981 to desegregate the military,” which ultimately ended segregation in the military (Lilley). Without these people, maybe there would still be segregation in the