The Civil Rights Legacy of Harry S. Truman »

President Harry S. Truman's contribution to civil rights is generally viewed as substantial and important. But some historians are inclined to regard his achievement as meager, hesitantly undertaken, polluted by political motives, and inadequate. The essays in this volume include the perspectives of historians and political scientists, of a member of Truman's White House staff, and of descendants of slaves-including General Colin Powell, Congressman John Lewis, and former Congresswoman Carrie Meek. These essays renew a continuing dialog into the meaning of some of President Truman's most important decisions.

Illustrations     vii
Preface     ix
Introduction: Interpreting the Civil Rights Legacy of Harry S. Truman   Raymond H. Geselbracht     xi
Viewpoint From the Descendants of Slaves
A Legacy Beyond Books, A Legacy That Gets Into You   Carrie Meek     3
A President who got in Trouble-Good Trouble, Necessary Trouble   John Lewis     7
Assessing Truman's Civil Rights Legacy
A President Who Regarded Civil Rights as a Moral Imperative   Michael Gardner     17
Clutching at Civil Rights Straws: A Reappraisal of the Truman Years and the Struggle for African American Citizenship   Carol Anderson     31
Truman Laid the Foundation for the Civil Rights Movement   Ken Hechler     51
Truman's Civil Rights Legacy: A Graphic Essay     67
Considering Truman's Civil Rights Achievements
Truman's Speech to the NAACP, 29 June 1947   Raymond Frey     93
Political Pragmatism and Civil Rights Policy: Truman and Integration of the Military   Richard M. Yon   Tom Lansford     103
Truman, Desegregation of the Armed Forces, and a Kid from the South Bronx   Colin Powell     117
Truman's Conception of Economic Rights as Civil Rights: The Case of Health Care   Michael Dukakis     125
HonoringTruman's Civil Rights Legacy
The Truman Library and Truman's Civil Rights Legacy   Raymond H. Geselbracht     139
Appendixes
President Truman's Major Speeches Relating to Civil Rights     151
Executive Orders Relating to Civil Rights     177
Truman and Civil Rights-A Chronology     189
Bibliography     207
Contributors     213
Index     217