War Manpower Commission
Alexander Liberman Photo
Source: National Archives

    The move toward desegregation that had been encouraged by the non-violent protests during World War II would continue after the War as the military evaluated the role of blacks and the need for continued segregation. President Truman's attention was drawn to the problem of the treatment of blacks by violence against returning members of the military, particularly an attack on Sergeant Isaac Woodard, who was attacked on a bus while going home to North Carolina in uniform, beaten, and left blind. Truman appointed the President's Committee on Civil Rights in December 1946; the committee would recommend in October 1947 that the military be completely desegregated. By this time, it was clear that the desegregation that had occurred over the course of World War II had not led to the kind of problems or disruptions that the military had feared.1

Truman greets Airman, 1950
Source: Truman LIbrary

    In July of 1948, partly in response to the rising demands of the black community and partly in response to the need for votes in the upcoming election, Truman signed Executive Order 9981, desegregating the armed forces. The military made some effort to integrate its own social settings and encourage establishments in the local community to do the same. In one location, for example, base officials told a local bar owner to serve all military personnel equally or his establishment would be declared off limits. Ultimately, however, the Korean War would be the most significant factor in military desegregation. When North Korea invaded South Korea in June 1950, the military had difficulty drafting enough white soldiers, so blacks were not only drafted but integrated directly into formerly-white units. The result was integrated units, at least in Korea, and integration would eventually reach the rest of the military.2

Go to Next Page Return to Top

1 "Along the N.A.A.C.P. Battlefront: The Isaac Woodard Case," Crisis, Sept. 1946, 276-277; Nalty, Strength for the Fight, 204-205; Dalfiume, Desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces, 134; Smith and Ziegler, A Historic Context for the African American Military Experience; Edgerton, Hidden Heroism, 161-162; Abdul-Jabbar, Brothers in Arms, 25-52; Scott and Womack, Double V, 272; Dalfiume, Desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces, 134-35; Buckley, American Patriots, 337; Lanning, The African-American Soldier, 214; Gropman, The Air Force Integrates, 1945-1964, 134-135. Full Cites

2 Gropman, The Air Force Integrates, 1945-1964, 39-43, 98-99, 141; Lanning, The African-American Soldier, 220-221, 229-233; Sandler, Segregated Skies, 151-152; Scott and Womack, Double V, 279; Salter, "Combat Multipliers," 113-114. Full Cites

Tracy Fisher, Ph.D. Student, American History, George Mason University, Prepared for HIST697, Dr. Petrik, Spring 2010