To Secure These Rights: The Report of President Harry S Truman's Committee on Civil Rights

About this book

Following a hard-fought war to preserve freedom and combat racial tyranny Harry S Truman faced a nation of racial turmoil at home where many Americans did not enjoy the basic rights they had fought to secure. Lynchings violent racial attacks and widespread discrimination undermined the countrys democratic ideals and prompted Truman to appoint a committee on civil rights. The committees report To Secure These Rights is one of the most important documents in the history of the modern civil rights movement; its findings showed a nation torn by racial injustice and its recommendations set the agenda for the ongoing struggle for racial equality. This volume contains the full text of the 1947 report plus an insightful introduction by Steven F. Lawson that chronicles early civil rights efforts and details the political and social climate of the postwar era. Also included are nine original images from the report questions for consideration an annotated chronology and suggestions for further reading.