Civil Rights Commission

Civil Rights Commission

The first President's Committee on Civil Rights was established by U.S. President Harry S. Truman to investigate race relations. It was a response to growing race attacks on the African American community (which was fighting for the right to vote in the South), and also because of condemnation from the Soviets.

In its report, it proposed anti-lynching and anti-poll tax laws and called for an end to racial discrimination and segregation in American life. In response to Southern whites' anger, Truman backtracked and introduced a weak civil rights plank which was later reversed by more liberal Democrats.