Executive Order 9981 was signed by which president?

• A. Franklin D. Roosevelt
• B. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• C. Harry S. Truman
• D. John F. Kennedy

Answer: (C)

The main idea is how presidential actions can push civil rights forward. Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in 1948, directing that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed forces without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin. This established an official policy to desegregate the military and set the stage for broader civil rights progress, showing how the federal government can use executive authority to promote equality. While earlier steps toward desegregation happened under other presidents in different contexts, the specific order to desegregate the armed forces was Truman’s, not those of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, or John F. Kennedy.