To Secure These Rights

Audience

The primary audience for To Secure These Rights was the black community, particularly that portion of the community living in the urban North. There, African Americans found themselves numerous enough to tip the scales in favor of Democrats or Republicans in state and national elections. Afraid that blacks might return to the Republican Party after supporting Democrats during the New Deal, Truman viewed his platform on civil rights to be vital to consolidating the Democratic Party’s liberal, New Deal coalition.

Truman also recognized that America’s racial politics possessed an international component. Acutely conscious of the need to cobble together a political rationale for containment, Truman continued President Woodrow Wilson’s emphasis on ideals, even to the point of justifying the cold war as a struggle not simply for resources or territorial control but also for much more abstract concepts like liberty and democracy. White recriminations against African American soldiers returning home from the war shocked Truman, alerting him to the need for measures aimed at improving America’s international reputation for democracy and freedom.