top of page

The Double V Campaign

Writer's picture: Michael BakerMichael Baker

On this day in 1948 US President Harry Truman signed off Executive Order 9981, directing the American armed services to desegregate by offering 'equality of treatment and opportunity' in the country's military. To the millions of African-Americans who had served in the Second World War against the Axis powers, this order came too late, and it would take years more for the US military to end discrimination in its ranks. For throughout WW2 most black US servicemen were employed as manual labour. In the south and west of the United States, where most military training bases were located, segregation was actually legal: typically, black recruits were banned from sharing stores, canteens, clubs, movie theatres, hospital wards, officers' quarters or sports facilities with their white counterparts - and many were confined to barracks when off duty. This caused festering bitterness, and protests broke out which led to ugly racial incidents in which white military police opened fire on black GIs, on occasions killing and wounding many. This racial discrimination moved overseas when the troops shipped out, only breaking down when the critical need for manpower in the last years of the war meant banning African-American soldiers from fighting on the front line became simply absurd. The blatant hypocrisy of the American war effort in this respect undoubtedly galvanised support for civil rights in the US, with black Americans and others getting behind the so-called 'Double V' campaign - victory against fascism and victory against racism. Truman's belated executive order of 1948 was one result of the campaign. This story, so unfamiliar on this side of the Atlantic, is told in America's 'Good War', Episode 9 of the new WW2 series of Unknown Warriors.

If you think you know about WW2, it's time to think again.



An Understanding History Podcast

21 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
bottom of page