Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (Page 1): Courtesy of National Archives, 1948
The Tuskegee Airmen:
The Fight for Military Desegregation
IMPACT
Following Executive Order 9980, which established fair employment practices that disregarded certain factors such as race or religion, President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, which ended segregation in the United States military. He attributes the performance of African Americans in World War II as an extremely notable reason for the fruition of the Executive Order itself.
"Equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin"
~ Harry S. Truman
Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (Page 2): Courtesy of National Archives, 1948