Arguably President Truman made the first real steps toward equality in America. He asked Congress to legislate against racial discrimination and started to integrate the armed forces. His actions were especially astounding as he was raised in the racist south and had himself held racist views. As Vivienne Sanders comments on progress for civil rights under his administration, "Truman played a brave and crucial individual role in precipitating change." His speech at The Lincoln Memorial in 1947 is said to be one of the strongest presidential speeches on civil rights since Lincoln himself, so perhaps Truman's appreciation of the situation allowed for change to be possible in the future. In 1963, Martin Luther King would stand on the same steps and deliver another most rousing speech on the civil rights movement.

Two events in the history of the struggle for civil rights in the period 1945 - 1960 stand out as landmarks...