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Why was progress towards racial equality slow in the period 1945?

  • Essay length: 573 words
  • Submitted: 06/10/2010
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AS and A Level History of the USA, 1840-1968

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Why was progress towards racial equality so slow in the period 1945-1955?

There are many reasons why progress towards racial equality was so slow in the period of 1945-1955, however the most important reason was the opposition Truman faced by white politicians. In 1946, Truman set up a committee to discuss civil rights; he commissioned them to produce a report examining the experience of racial minorities in America. This report, 'To secure these rights', highlighted the vast amount of segregation that faced African Americans, this report proposed changes to make America a desegregated society. However Truman was unwilling to implement the full recommendations of the report. This was due to opposition from southern Democrats; they had powerful positions within Congress and would use these to block Truman's plans. Evidently, this opposition was the most important reason; without it, Truman would've had much greater chance to pursue the changes which he recommended.

Another factor contributing to slow progress towards racial equality was the opposition among the general public. Truman's ideas were simply not comprehensive enough to deal with the amount of racism which existed in the country. Specifically in the south, where still many people, mainly Dixiecrats refused

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