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President Truman signs executive order 9981 which states "it is hereby declared to be the policy of the president that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, religion or natural origin"
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The U.S. Supreme Court decision ended legal racial segregation in public schools
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African- American woman Rosa Parks arrest after her refusal to move to the back of a bus triggers a city boycott of the bus system