Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

20587

Title

Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This authoritative administrative history chronicles the U.S. military's transition from segregation to integration between 1940 and 1965. Based on official records, it examines how political pressure, civil rights activism, and evolving concepts of efficiency dismantled legal barriers, transforming the armed forces into a model for democratic equality.

Summary up to 500 words

Morris J. MacGregor Jr.'s *Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965* chronicles the transformative evolution of racial policy within the U.S. military from World War II through the mid-1960s. The narrative traces the journey from rigid segregation to full integration, driven by a convergence of moral imperatives, strategic necessities, and external pressures. Initially, Executive Order 9981 faced significant resistance; service branches frequently cited local customs, housing constraints, and community mores as barriers to compliance. Military officials often argued that they lacked control over off-base environments, effectively limiting the Department of Defense's ability to protect black servicemen's civil rights in the early 1950s. However, the landscape shifted dramatically under the weight of the Civil Rights Movement and pivotal Supreme Court rulings. MacGregor details how decisions like *Brown v. Board of Education* undermined the legal foundation of segregation, compelling the military to reexamine its practices. The text highlights critical turning points, including the desegregation of dependent schools on bases and the eventual dismantling of all-black units. As the narrative progresses, it illustrates the Department of Defense's expanding role, moving from passive observation to active enforcement of open housing policies off-base. Drawing on correspondence across five presidential administrations, the book portrays military leaders overcoming deep-seated prejudice to align with democratic ideals. MacGregor emphasizes that while integration faced fierce opposition rooted in traditional attitudes, the pragmatic need for efficiency and the moral demand for equality made it inevitable. By the mid-1960s, under leaders like Robert McNamara, the Department of Defense joined the vanguard of the civil rights movement, utilizing its resources to combat discrimination in housing and employment. The work stands as a definitive record of this pivotal era, demonstrating how the armed forces served as a catalyst for broader social change, fulfilling both the promise of equal opportunity and the strategic requirements of a modern military.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

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Categories

• Biography
• History