The 1960s Historian Yohuru Williams sums up the tumultuous political and cultural movements of the 1960s. 2:03m watch Related Videos Black HistoryWhy Harry Truman Ended Segregation in the US Military in 1948 On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, mandating the desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces and ending 170 years of officially sanctioned racial discrimination in the military. Although African Americans had served since the Revolutionary War, they were typically segregated from white troops and often assigned to menial roles. A landmark achievement of both the postwar civil rights movement and Truman’s presidency, the order marked one of the first times a U.S. president used executive authority to advance civil rights. It also helped pave the way for broader desegregation efforts across American society. 1:00m watch Black HistoryFreedom Summer 1964 Freedom Summer 1964 was a massive voter registration campaign in Mississippi. The first interracial movement of its kind, the project was led by Black southern organizers and staffed by both Black and white volunteers. Black HistoryHow One Woman Fed the Montgomery Bus Boycott In the 1950s, over 40,000 citizens of Montgomery, Alabama, boycotted the city's segregated bus service for 381 days—a massive undertaking that was funded and fed by a clandestine group of women. 1:00m watch Black HistoryCivil Rights Turning Points in Every Decade From the NAACP to the Black Lives Matter movement, we're counting down the biggest civil rights turning points in every decade. 8:35m watch HISTORY EducationHISTORY Vault™HISTORY AppsHISTORY en Español®Military HISTORY®Newsletter Sign UpShare Your OpinionsFAQ / Contact Us Advertise with UsA+E Factual Studios™A+E Studios®Employment OpportunitiesAccessibility SupportTV Parental Guidelines Advertise with UsA+E Factual Studios™A+E Studios®Employment OpportunitiesAccessibility SupportTV Parental Guidelines © 2026, A&E Television Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyCopyright PolicyCookie NoticeAd Choices The 1960s | HISTORY