July 26

On July 26th, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981. This Order declared that all servicemen were equal, regardless of color, and and established a committee to make what changes would be necessary to make that a reality.

As this Executive Order was in regards to the military, Truman was not subject to Congressional approval. One of the Presidential enumerated powers is to control the US military. Executive orders can be declared unconstitutional (although in this case unlikely because this Order supports the 14th Amendment - and on a federal level no less).

Harry Truman had previously signed Executive Order 9808, which was to investigate civil rights, and 9980, which desegregated the Civil Service. He also had plans to institute a Voting Rights commission, abolish poll taxes, and create federal protection from lynching. However, these recommendations were left to Congress as Truman started his second term, with predictable results.

The lasting contribution Truman made to civil rights may have been in his Supreme Court appointees; Burton, Clark and Minton all voted in favor of Brown v Board of Education and other landmark civil rights cases. Vinson, the Chief Justice, also frequently sided on the side of civil rights.