what major gains were made for civil rights during harry trumans administration?

Answer 1

While President Truman faced opposition and backlash from the southern-wing of his own Democratic Party, he made some strides in pushing forward changes in civil rights. Perhaps the most famous and possibly greatest accomplishment of Truman's legacy in civil rights was Executive Order 9981. As in previous wars, African American soldiers fought with distinction only to return home to face violence and abuse. These stories echoed the same ones told after World War I where it did not matter how many medals a soldier earned over seas, once he returned home he was judged solely on the basis of his skin color by most. Truman's reaction differed from those of past presidents and the issuing of Executive Order 9981 in July of 1948 set about the desegregation of the United States military. After a few years of work, Truman's order and the combined efforts of various committees and the branches of the military led to the racial integration of the Armed Forces.

President Truman was much more visible on the issue than his predecessors as well. In 1947, he was the first American president to address the NAACP, pledging to support civil rights. Truman's attempts at greater civil rights' legislation may not have garnered the successes he wanted, but he pushed for a civil rights agenda nonetheless. His push ultimately led to a split with the "Dixiecrats" (Southern Democrats) running their own failed candidate (Strom Thurmond) against him in 1948. Still, 1948 brought one other Executive Order, 9980. This one made it illegal for to deny a person a civil service position based on race, which Truman followed up a few years later with in issuing a similar order to defense contractors. Besides his efforts to integrate the military, however, President Truman's main accomplishment in civil rights may simply be having the will to use the power of the presidency to force it onto the national agenda.

For more see the President Truman Library - www.trumanlibrary.org