Tuskegee Airmen
Rights and Responsibilities
National History Day 2025
Both President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Harry S. Truman played significant roles in supporting the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Armed Forces. Roosevelt's administration established the Tuskegee Institute program in 1941, which trained these pilots, laying the groundwork for their success in World War II.
Lady Roosevelt was a huge supporter of the Tuskegee Airmen as well. She held strong interest in these men, and in 1941, she had requested to take a flight with one of the airmen. Despite the Secret Service's doubts, Charles "Chief" Anderson was successfully able to take her on a flight for over an hour. Press coverge of this flight helped further the public's support for the Tuskegee Airmen.
Eleanor Roosevelt and Chief Anderson, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Following the war, Truman took crucial steps towards desegregation, including the issuance of Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which mandated the desegregation of the United States armed forces, thus helping to secure the legacy and achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen. Together, their actions contributed to advancing civil rights within the military and broader American society.
Executive Order No. 9981