Question

of civil rights in the united states

• reconstruction amendments: after the civil war, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and gave black men the right to vote. however, jim crow laws in the south tried to undo as much of that progress as possible, and the 1896 plessy v. ferguson ruling reinforced racial segregation, declaring that \separate but equal\ public spaces were constitutional
• cultural renaissance: cultural movements like the harlem renaissance in the 1920s displayed african american creativity and culture. however, the great depression brought this time to an end and delayed civil rights reforms as the country underwent economic collapse
• creating change: in the years leading up to world war ii, civil rights leader a. philip randolph planned a march on washington in 1941 to end discrimination in defense industry jobs. randolph knew that president franklin d. roosevelt didn’t want a massive protest on his front lawn while the u.s. was about to enter world war ii, so he met with roosevelt to negotiate. the president conceded, issuing executive order 8802 to ban discrimination in defense industry and government jobs.

why did president roosevelt issue executive order 8802?

• to fully desegregate all public schools across the nation
• to prevent a civil rights march on washington with world war ii looming
• to ensure the g.i. bill would benefit all returning veterans equally

Explanation:

To determine why Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, we analyze the text: A. Philip Randolph planned a march on Washington to end discrimination in defense jobs. Roosevelt didn't want a massive protest as the U.S. was about to enter WWII, so he negotiated and issued the order.

• The first option (desegregate all public schools) is incorrect as the order was about defense industry jobs, not schools.
• The second option (prevent a civil rights march on Washington with WWII looming) matches the context: Randolph’s planned march and Roosevelt’s desire to avoid a protest during WWII preparations led to the order.
• The third option (ensure G.I. Bill benefits all veterans) is incorrect as the G.I. Bill came after WWII, and the order was about defense industry jobs, not veteran benefits.

Answer:

B. to prevent a civil rights march on Washington with World War II looming