Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman
National Archives and Records Administration. Office of Presidential Libraries. · Public domain · source
Name	Harry S. Truman
Caption	Official portrait, 1945
Order	33rd
Office	President of the United States
Vicepresident	None (1945–1949), Alben W. Barkley (1949–1953)
Term start	April 12, 1945
Term end	January 20, 1953
Predecessor	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Successor	Dwight D. Eisenhower
Office1	34th Vice President of the United States
President1	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Term start1	January 20, 1945
Term end1	April 12, 1945
Predecessor1	Henry A. Wallace
Successor1	Alben W. Barkley
Jr/sr2	United States Senator
State2	Missouri
Term start2	January 3, 1935
Term end2	January 17, 1945
Predecessor2	Roscoe C. Patterson
Successor2	Frank P. Briggs
Birth date	8 May 1884
Birth place	Lamar, Missouri, U.S.
Death date	26 December 1972
Death place	Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouse	Bess Wallace, June 28, 1919
Children	Margaret Truman
Alma mater	Kansas City Law School
Occupation	Farmer, haberdasher, Judge, Politician
Branch	United States Army
Serviceyears	1905–1911 (Missouri National Guard), 1917–1919 (Army Reserve), 1920–1953 (Army Reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	129th Field Artillery Regiment
Battles	World War I, • Meuse–Argonne offensive

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. His presidency, which began in the final months of World War II, was a pivotal period for the modern civil rights movement in America. Truman's advocacy for racial equality, most notably through executive actions to desegregate the armed forces and establish a presidential committee on civil rights, marked a significant, if incomplete, federal commitment to the cause during the mid-20th century.

Early life and political career

Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884 and grew up in Independence, Missouri. His early career included work as a farmer, a haberdasher, and service as an artillery officer in World War I, where he commanded Battery D. His political career began under the patronage of Thomas J. Pendergast, the powerful boss of the Kansas City political machine. Elected as a U.S. Senator from Missouri in 1934, Truman gained national prominence during World War II as chairman of the Truman Committee, which investigated waste and fraud in wartime contracts. His reputation for integrity and efficiency led to his selection as the vice-presidential running mate for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.

Presidency and World War II

Truman assumed the presidency upon Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. He oversaw the final months of World War II, authorizing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The post-war period, known as the start of the Cold War, was defined by the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to contain Soviet influence. Domestically, he faced immense challenges, including economic reconversion and labor unrest. It was against this backdrop of asserting American democratic ideals abroad that the contradiction of Jim Crow segregation at home became increasingly untenable, influencing Truman's turn toward civil rights.

Civil rights advocacy and executive actions

Truman's commitment to civil rights was shaped by personal conviction, political calculation, and reports of violence against African American veterans. In 1946, he established the President's Committee on Civil Rights. The committee's landmark 1947 report, To Secure These Rights, provided a comprehensive indictment of segregation and recommended sweeping federal actions, including anti-lynching laws, abolition of the poll tax, and desegregation of the armed forces. Although a hostile Congress blocked most legislative proposals, Truman used executive power. In 1948, he issued Executive Order 9980, which began to desegregate the federal workforce, and Executive Order 9981, which mandated equality of treatment and opportunity in the armed forces.

Desegregation of the armed forces

Executive Order 9981 is considered one of Truman's most significant civil rights achievements. It declared "there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin" and established the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, chaired by Charles H. Houston and later James C. Evans. The order faced resistance from within the military, particularly the Army. Full implementation was gradual, accelerated by the manpower demands of the Korean War. The process was largely completed by 1954, fundamentally transforming a major institution of American society and setting a precedent for federal action against segregation.

Relationship with civil rights organizations

Truman maintained a complex relationship with civil rights leaders. He met with, and was pressured by, groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and its executive secretary, Walter White. He also addressed the National Urban League. His advocacy alienated the Dixiecrat faction of his own Democratic Party, leading to the 1948 walkout of Southern delegates. While activists praised his executive orders, they criticized the slow pace of implementation and his administration's continued tolerance of segregation in federal facilities in Washington, D.C. The support of civil rights organizations was nonetheless crucial to his 1948 election campaign.

1948 election and civil rights platform

The 1948 presidential election became a referendum on civil rights. The Democratic Party platform included the strongest civil rights plank in its history up to that point, endorsing the recommendations of the President's Committee on Civil Rights. In response, Southern Democrats formed the States' Rights Democratic Party (Dixiecrats) and nominated Strom Thurmond for president. Meanwhile, Truman campaigned aggressively, delivering a historic speech before an integrated audience at Harlem's Harlem Armory. His whistle-stop tour and unexpected victory over Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond was seen as a mandate for his Fair Deal domestic agenda, which included civil rights.

Post-presidency and legacy on civil rights

After leaving office in 1953, Truman retired to Independence, Missouri, where he wrote his memoirs and oversaw the construction of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. He lived to see the passage of landmark civil rights legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which fulfilled many of the goals he had advocated. Truman's legacy on civil rights is that of a pathbreaker who used the moral authority of the presidency to place racial equality on the national agenda. His executive actions, particularly the desegregation of the military, created tangible momentum and demonstrated that federal action was possible, paving the way for the more comprehensive victories of the civil rights movement in the following decades.