On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, which desegregated the United States Armed Forces. This historic executive order mandated the integration of the military and prohibited racial discrimination in the armed forces. It marked a significant step toward racial equality and set a precedent for the civil rights movement in the following decades. The order established the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, which helped oversee the implementation of the desegregation process.

Truman’s decision was influenced by the growing civil rights movement, the pressure from African American leaders, and the realization that racial segregation in the military was inconsistent with the democratic values the U.S. was fighting to defend in World War II.