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Dawson, William L., African American congressman from Chicago and World War I veteran of the segregated 366th Infantry Regiment, House of Representatives speech delivered April 13, 1951 addressing segregation in the United States armed forces during the early years of the Cold War. Dawson served in Congress for nearly three decades and became the first African American to chair a congressional committee. His speech was delivered during a critical period in the history of American civil rights and military policy, following President Harry Truman's 1948 Executive Order 9981 directing the desegregation of the armed forces. Debates in Congress during the early 1950s addressed the pace and implementation of integration, and Dawson used the floor of the House to argue that racial segregation contradicted the principles for which American soldiers fought. Dawson, William L. "Segregation in the Armed Forces." Speech of Hon. William L. Dawson of Illinois in the House of Representatives, April 13, 1951. Congressional Record, 82nd Congress, First Session. Single printed sheet measuring approximately 6 x 9 inches, preserved with original mailing envelope. The printed text reproduces Dawson's remarks opposing segregation within the military establishment. In the speech Dawson declared: "If there is one place in America where there should not be segregation, that place is in the armed services, among those who fight for this country." He continued with a broader appeal to constitutional ideals and national unity: "I would give up this life of mine to preserve this country and every American in it, white or black. Deny to me today, if you will, all that American citizenship stands for, I will still fight to preserve our Nation knowing that someday under the Constitution of the United States all of these restrictions will be removed, and that we will move forward before the world as one people, American people, joined in a democracy which shall set the pattern for all the world." Dawson's remarks formed part of the ongoing political struggle over civil rights and military policy during the early Cold War. The Korean War had begun the previous year, and questions about equality within the armed forces remained under active debate as the military implemented Truman's desegregation order. Dawson's own wartime service in a segregated unit during World War I informed his critique of racial discrimination within the military establishment. As a senior African American political leader in Congress, his advocacy contributed to broader legislative and political pressure supporting the continued dismantling of segregation in the armed forces. Minor wear consistent with age; overall condition very good.
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