A Brief History
On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which ordered the desegregation of the US military, a move many Americans thought was long overdue.
Digging Deeper
At times presidents cannot or will not wait for congress to act on a subject and they take it into their own hands by issuing an “Executive Order.” Franklin Roosevelt holds the record for the most executive orders with a whopping 3522. Second place is Woodrow Wilson with 1803 and Teddy Roosevelt is the only other president with over a thousand at 1081.
Question for students (and subscribers): Can you think of any Presidential Orders that you particularly agree with or disagree with? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Howell, William. Power without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action. Princeton University Press, 2003.
Rudalevige, Andrew. By Executive Order: Bureaucratic Management and the Limits of Presidential Power. Princeton University Press , 2021.
The featured image in this article, Executive Order 9981 dated July 26, 1948 in which President Harry S. Truman bans the segregation of the Armed Forces, is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.