Executive Order 9981

Examples of Executive Order 9981 in the following topics:

• Civil Rights

  • First, he created the President's Committee on Civil Rights by Executive Order 9808 on December 5, 1946.
  • Tales of the abuse, violence, and persecution suffered by many African American veterans upon their return from World War II infuriated Truman, and were a major factor in his decision to issue Executive Order 9981, in July 1948, desegregating and requiring equal opportunity in the Armed Forces.
  • Another executive order, also in 1948, made it illegal to discriminate against persons applying for civil service positions based on race.
  • These "small actions" culminated into the signing of the two executive orders mentioned above by Truman in 1948, an election year.
  • Historian Howard Zinn argued that the President failed to use the power given to him by the 14th and 15th amendments to execute laws strong enough to combat discrimination.

• African Americans in WWII

  • Roosevelt signed the executive order (8802) that prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry.
  • Coseqnutely, Truman's Order expanded on Executive Order 8802 by establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the military for people of all races, religions, or national origins.
  • In July 1948, the Executive Order 9981 abolished racial discrimination in the armed forces and eventually led to the end of segregation in the services.

• The Branches of Government

  • The United States Constitution set out three separate branches of government: the legislature, executive branch, and judiciary.
  • The Constitution empowers the President to ensure the faithful execution of the laws Congress makes.
  • Courts check both the executive and legislative branch through judicial review.
  • US courts have the power to rule legislative enactments or executive acts invalid on constitutional grounds.
  • Any state or federal court has the power to refuse to enforce any statute or executive order it deems as not aligned with the Constitution.

• The Division and Separation of Power

  • The Separation of Powers is defined as the division of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
  • This philosophy heavily influenced the writing of the United States Constitution, according to which the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the United States government are kept distinct in order to prevent abuse of power.
  • Executive power is vested, with exceptions and qualifications, in the President of the United States.
  • The Constitution empowers the president to ensure the faithful execution of the laws made by Congress.
  • Courts check both the executive branch and the legislative branch through judicial review.

• Emancipation

  • In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, an executive order that freed the slaves in the Confederate states.
  • The Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order issued by U.S.
  • On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation that he would order the emancipation of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863.
  • None returned, and the order, signed and issued January 1, 1863, took effect except in locations where the Union had already mostly regained control.

• Minorities and the New Deal

  • The 1941 Executive Order 8802 banned racial discrimination in the national defense industry.
  • In June 1941, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 (sometimes referred to as the Fair Employment Act).
  • The Committee would also make recommendations to federal agencies and to the President on how Executive Order 8802 could be made most effective.
  • Executive Order 8802 was the first federal action intended to promote equal opportunity and prohibit employment discrimination in the United States.
  • Philip Randolph was a prominent civil rights activist who helped push Roosevelt into signing Executive Order 8822.

• Economic Controls

  • Following the New Deal practice, the Roosevelt Administration established a number of new government agencies or expanded the role of those launched under the New Deal in order to convert the peacetime economy to the requirements imposed by the war effort.
  • Executive Order 8875 established the Office of Price Administration (OPA) in 1941.
  • Most functions of the OPA were transferred to the newly established Office of Temporary Controls (OTC) by Executive Order 9809, December 12, 1946.
  • The War Production Board (WPB) was established as a government agency on January 16, 1942 by executive order of Franklin D.
  • The WPB ensured that each factory received materials it needed to operate, in order to produce the most war goods in the shortest time.

• The Burr Conspiracy

  • The Governor of Ohio grew suspicious of the activity there and ordered the state militia to raid the island and seize all supplies.
  • Convinced of Burr's guilt, Jefferson ordered his arrest.
  • Burr's trial brought into question the ideas of executive privilege, state secrets privilege, and the independence of the executive branch of government.
  • He insisted that all relevant papers had been made available and that he was not subject to this writ because he held executive privilege.
  • He also argued that he should not be subject to the commands of the judiciary because the Constitution guaranteed the executive branch's independence from the judicial branch.

• Civil Rights Under Nixon

  • The Nixon administration, prioritizing a return to "law and order," did not advance civil rights to the extent of the previous administrations.
  • A majority of fearful white Americans began to prioritize "law and order" over the advancements of civil rights.
  • Nixon opposed busing personally but enforced court orders requiring its use.
  • The Philadelphia Plan was based on an earlier plan developed in 1967 by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance and the Philadelphia Federal Executive Board.
  • Executive Order 11246 put the Philadelphia Plan into effect, and Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for Wage and Labor Standards Arthur Fletcher was in charge of implementing it.

• Banking and Finance Reform

  • Roosevelt declared a bank holiday, suspending all bank operations in order to prevent bank runs.
  • Adherence to the gold standard prevented the Federal Reserve from expanding the money supply in order to stimulate the economy, fund insolvent banks, and fund government deficits which could "prime the pump" for an expansion.
  • In a series of laws and executive orders, the government suspended the gold standard.
  • This order was part of Roosevelt's suspension of the Gold Standard, part of his reform of the monetary system.