President's Committee on Civil Rights
Encyclopedia
The President's Committee on Civil Rights was established by Executive Order 9808, which Harry Truman, who was then President of the United States
, issued on December 5, 1946. The committee was instructed to investigate the status of civil rights
in the country and propose measures to strengthen and protect them. After the committee submitted a report of its findings to President Truman, it disbanded in December 1947.
The committee's terms of reference were: (1)to examine the condition of civil rights
in the United States, (2)to produce a written report of their findings, and (3)to submit recommendations on improving civil rights in the United States. In October 1947, To Secure These Rights: The Report of the President’s Committee on Civil Rights was produced. The 178-page report proposed improving existing civil rights laws. More specifically, it aimed to establish a permanent Civil Rights Commission, a Joint Congressional Committee on Civil Rights, and a Civil Rights Division
in the Department of Justice
, to develop federal protection from lynching
, to create a Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), to abolish poll taxes, among other measures.
On July 26, 1948, President Truman advanced the recommendations of the report by signing executive orders 9980 and 9981. Executive Order 9980 ordered the desegregation
of the federal work force and Executive Order 9981, the desegregation of the armed services
. He also sent a special message to Congress
on February 2, 1948 to implement the recommendations of the President’s Committee on Civil Rights.
However morally vindicating, the committee’s policies also addressed how the United States were to be received as a world power. As stated by the committee:
These "small actions" culminated into the signing of the two executive orders mentioned above by Truman in 1948, an election year. In light of the growing possibility of war, addressing the state of black morale the armed forces was particularly important. The far reaching effects that the committee had hoped for had little impact on the civil rights of black Americans in the late 1940s. Zinn argued that the President failed to use the power given to him by the 14th and 15th amendments to execute laws strong enough to combat discrimination. It was not until the "Brown vs. Board of Education" decision that the separate but equal doctrine would be overturned and segregation would be officially outlawed by the U.S. government.
President Truman's decision to desegregate the armed forces was politically risky as it came one hundred days before the 1948 presidential elections. This controversial decision could have cost him a victory, but despite the risks, he went through with it and became the 33rd president of the United States of America. On July 26, 1948 Truman abolished the segregation laws. He had been shocked by the way veteran African-Americans soldiers were treated after World War II. Executive orders 9980 and 9981 were introduced to desegregate the workforce and the army.
Signing his Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 President Truman said, "Today, Freedom From Fear, and the democratic institutions which sustain it, are again under attack. In some places, from time to time, the local enforcement of law and order has broken down, and individuals—sometimes ex-servicemen, even women have been killed, maimed, or intimated. The preservation of civil liberties is a duty of every Government state, Federal and local. Wherever the law enforcement measures and the authority of federal, state, and local governments are inadequate to discharge this primary function of government, these measures and this authority should be strengthened and improved. The constitutional guarantees of individual liberties and of equal protection under the laws clearly place on the Federal Government the duty to act when state or local authorities abridge or fail to protect these constitutional rights".
President Truman briefly served as an artillery man in World War I. Truman’s brief experience as a soldier made him realize the horrors of war and that made him gain a new found respect for soldiers. He was appalled when he heard of stories of African American World War II veterans were being mistreated shortly after coming back home, especially in the southern states. A particular case caught his attention. Isaac Woodard, a black sergeant, was physically abused and lost both his eyes in the process. His aggressor, Sheriff Shull openly admitted that he had used physical force on Woodard. However, despite all the evidence against Shull, he was acquitted of all charges in front of an all-white jury.
, James B. Carey, John S. Dickey
, Morris L. Ernst
, Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, Dr. Frank P. Graham, Reverend Francis J. Haas
, Charles Luckman
, Francis P. Matthews
, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., Reverend Henry Knox Sherrill
, Boris Shishkin, M.E. Tilly, and Channing H. Tobias
.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, issued on December 5, 1946. The committee was instructed to investigate the status of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in the country and propose measures to strengthen and protect them. After the committee submitted a report of its findings to President Truman, it disbanded in December 1947.
The committee's terms of reference were: (1)to examine the condition of civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
in the United States, (2)to produce a written report of their findings, and (3)to submit recommendations on improving civil rights in the United States. In October 1947, To Secure These Rights: The Report of the President’s Committee on Civil Rights was produced. The 178-page report proposed improving existing civil rights laws. More specifically, it aimed to establish a permanent Civil Rights Commission, a Joint Congressional Committee on Civil Rights, and a Civil Rights Division
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division
The U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division is the institution within the federal government responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division was established on December 9, 1957, by...
in the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, to develop federal protection from lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
, to create a Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), to abolish poll taxes, among other measures.
On July 26, 1948, President Truman advanced the recommendations of the report by signing executive orders 9980 and 9981. Executive Order 9980 ordered the desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of the federal work force and Executive Order 9981, the desegregation of the armed services
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
. He also sent a special message to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on February 2, 1948 to implement the recommendations of the President’s Committee on Civil Rights.
Impact on Civil Rights
The President’s Committee on Civil Rights was proactive in addressing the burgeoning issue of racism in post-war America. Protection from lynching and desegregation in the work force was a triumph of conscience for Truman; as he recalled in his farewell address:There has been a tremendous awakening of the American conscience on the great issues of civil rights--equal economic opportunities, equal rights of citizenship, and equal educational opportunities for all our people, whatever their race or religion or status of birth.
However morally vindicating, the committee’s policies also addressed how the United States were to be received as a world power. As stated by the committee:
Our position in the post-war world is so vital to the future that our smallest actions have far-reaching effects. We have come to know that our own security in a highly interdependent world is inextricably tied to the security and well-being of all people and all countries. Our foreign policy is designed to make the United States an enormous, positive influence for peace and progress throughout the world. We have tried to let nothing, not even extreme political differences between ourselves and foreign nations, stand in the way of this goal. But our domestic civil rights shortcomings are a serious obstacle.
These "small actions" culminated into the signing of the two executive orders mentioned above by Truman in 1948, an election year. In light of the growing possibility of war, addressing the state of black morale the armed forces was particularly important. The far reaching effects that the committee had hoped for had little impact on the civil rights of black Americans in the late 1940s. Zinn argued that the President failed to use the power given to him by the 14th and 15th amendments to execute laws strong enough to combat discrimination. It was not until the "Brown vs. Board of Education" decision that the separate but equal doctrine would be overturned and segregation would be officially outlawed by the U.S. government.
President Truman's decision to desegregate the armed forces was politically risky as it came one hundred days before the 1948 presidential elections. This controversial decision could have cost him a victory, but despite the risks, he went through with it and became the 33rd president of the United States of America. On July 26, 1948 Truman abolished the segregation laws. He had been shocked by the way veteran African-Americans soldiers were treated after World War II. Executive orders 9980 and 9981 were introduced to desegregate the workforce and the army.
Signing his Executive Orders 9980 and 9981 President Truman said, "Today, Freedom From Fear, and the democratic institutions which sustain it, are again under attack. In some places, from time to time, the local enforcement of law and order has broken down, and individuals—sometimes ex-servicemen, even women have been killed, maimed, or intimated. The preservation of civil liberties is a duty of every Government state, Federal and local. Wherever the law enforcement measures and the authority of federal, state, and local governments are inadequate to discharge this primary function of government, these measures and this authority should be strengthened and improved. The constitutional guarantees of individual liberties and of equal protection under the laws clearly place on the Federal Government the duty to act when state or local authorities abridge or fail to protect these constitutional rights".
President Truman briefly served as an artillery man in World War I. Truman’s brief experience as a soldier made him realize the horrors of war and that made him gain a new found respect for soldiers. He was appalled when he heard of stories of African American World War II veterans were being mistreated shortly after coming back home, especially in the southern states. A particular case caught his attention. Isaac Woodard, a black sergeant, was physically abused and lost both his eyes in the process. His aggressor, Sheriff Shull openly admitted that he had used physical force on Woodard. However, despite all the evidence against Shull, he was acquitted of all charges in front of an all-white jury.
Membership
The committee was composed of 15 members: Charles E. Wilson (Chairman), Sadie T. AlexanderSadie Tanner Mossell Alexander
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, born Sarah Tanner Mossell , was the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D...
, James B. Carey, John S. Dickey
John Sloan Dickey
John Sloan Dickey was an American diplomat, scholar, and intellectual. Dickey served as President of Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, from 1945 to 1970, and helped revitalize the Ivy League institution....
, Morris L. Ernst
Morris Ernst
Morris Leopold Ernst was an American lawyer and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union.He was born in Uniontown, Alabama on Aug. 23, 1888, to a Czech-born father and German mother. He lived in various locations around New York City from the age of 2...
, Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, Dr. Frank P. Graham, Reverend Francis J. Haas
Francis J. Haas
Francis Joseph Haas was an American Roman Catholic bishop and advocate for social justice. He was the sixth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids from 1943 until his death in 1953.-Early Life and Training:...
, Charles Luckman
Charles Luckman
Charles Luckman was a businessman and an American architect, famous as the "Boy Wonder of American Business" when he was named president of the Pepsodent toothpaste company in 1939 at the age of thirty...
, Francis P. Matthews
Francis P. Matthews
Francis Patrick Matthews served as 49th United States Secretary of the Navy, during the administration of President Harry Truman. Matthews served during most of Truman's second term, from May 25, 1949 to July 31, 1951...
, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., Reverend Henry Knox Sherrill
Henry Knox Sherrill
Henry Knox Sherrill was an Episcopal clergyman. He was the 20th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1947 to 1958, having previously served as Bishop of Massachusetts .-Biography:...
, Boris Shishkin, M.E. Tilly, and Channing H. Tobias
Channing Heggie Tobias
Channing Heggie Tobias was a civil rights activist and Spingarn Medalist. In 1946 he was appointed to the President's Committee on Civil Rights....
.
Publication
- President's Committee on Civil Rights. To Secure These Rights: The Report of the President's Committee on Civil Rights. Washington: GPO, 1947.
Secondary sources
- Berman, William C. The Politics of Civil Rights in the Truman Administration. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press, 1970. ISBN 0-8142-0142-3
- Gardner, Michael R.,Harry Truman and Civil Rights:Moral Courage and Political Risks Illinois:SIU Press, 2003 ISBN 0809325500, 9780809325504
- Hamby, Alonzo L. Beyond the New Deal: Harry S. Truman and American Liberalism. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976. ISBN 0-231-08344-0
- McCoy, Donald R. and Richard T. Ruetten. Quest and Response: Minority Rights and the Truman Administration. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 1973. ISBN 0-7006-0099-X
- Vaughan, Philip H. The Truman Administration's Legacy for Black America. Reseda, California: Mojave Books, 1976. ISBN 0-87881-047-1
- Zinn, Howard The Twentieth Century: A People's History 2003 p. 189
External links
- To Secure These Rights: The Report of the President’s Committee on Civil Rights Full text of document available from the Truman Presidential Museum & Library