"I do hereby reaffirm the policy of the United States that there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government because of race, creed, color, or national origin... All departments and agencies of the Government of the United States concerned with vocational and training programs for defense production shall take special measures appropriate to assure that such programs are administered without discrimination... There is established in the Office of Production Management a Committee on Fair Employment Practice." — Executive Order 8802 (June 25, 1941)
Executive Order 8802 is best seen as
- Acheck_circle
the first significant federal civil rights action since Reconstruction
- B
the immediate desegregation of the U.S. armed forces
- C
a repeal of Jim Crow laws in the South
- D
the founding of the NAACP
Explanation
Although limited to defense employment and lacking strong enforcement, EO 8802 broke a decades-long federal silence and laid groundwork for postwar civil rights gains.