A Guide to Primary Resources for U.S. History : Executive Order 9981 Truman Presidential Museum and Library: "Multimedia Digital Archives" On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 establishing equality of treatment and opportunity in the Armed Services. This project website, produced for the 50th anniversary of the Executive Order, presents the historic document as well as interesting background materials organized in an interactive format. This resource enables students to explore an important outcome of African American military service in World War II. The students can read the order and jot down ideas about how people might have responded to Truman's words (for example, from the perspective of an African-American WWII veteran, an American general, a NAACP lawyer, a white farmer, and a Soviet leader). This could be the beginning of a discussion on how the ideologies of the Cold War played out in the daily lives of Americans. Students can write a reactionary historical journal entry from the perspective of a former WWII African-American soldier (perhaps a Tuskegee Airman) to Truman's order. The teacher can prompt students to think about the emotions of an African-American who fought for a country in which his place is marginalized in society, especially when he was supposedly fighting to promote democracy. In the context of the increasingly threatening Cold War, what might such a person question about his country? The teacher should be sure to return to this document when the class begins to discuss the roots of the Civil Rights Movement.

(c) examining the political, economic, and social impact of the war and Reconstruction, including the adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States

Description: The first two photographs here illustrate the destruction of Richmond. On April 1, 1865, General Lee advised Confederate President Jefferson Davis to abandon Richmond, the Confederate capital. In order to prepare for invasion, the army ordered the destruction of supplies including liquor, tobacco, cotton, clothes, food, and ammunition. Burning of these supplies became out of control and the center and business district of the city burned, including Tredegar Iron Works.
The last three photographs show the destruction endured during General Sherman’s aggressive campaign in 1864. These photographs provide samples of destruction from cities of Charleston, Columbia, and Atlanta. These photographs were taken by George Barnard who was the assigned photographer to General Sherman.

Teaching Tips:

"Do Now" Suggestions

Distribute photographs to groups of students and ask how destruction of cities and railroads would impact the South’s economy in the future.
Using the photographs of Richmond, discuss the strategy of burning your supplies to avoid having them captured by the enemy.

Suggestion for Using this Resource as Part of a Lesson

On a map, mark the battles along General Sherman’s campaigns and display the photographs. Discuss the emotional and economic impact his campaign had on the residents of the South. Ask students how actions like Sherman’s would influence Southerners’ view of the Union. Also, discuss how attitudes and perspectives gained during the War would impact the Reconstruction Era.