The Boxer Rebellion

Table of Contents Introduction Origin of Boxer Organization Causes of Boxer Rebellion The Aftermath Conclusion Bibliography Footnotes Introduction The Boxer rebellion, which is also referred to as Boxer Uprising or Yihetuan lobby group, was a proto-separatist group by the Righteous Harmony Society in China. The lobby group emerged between 1898 and 1901. The group was against foreign invasion and introduction of Christianity in China.[1] The revolution was also against the partitioning of China. Colonial interference led to conflicts ranging from interruption of opium trade to economic exploitation.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Boxer Rebellion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Chinese citizens were against the signing of treaties that benefited only foreign powers. The Qing regime was forced into signing unpopular treaties that aimed at subjugating the people of China. For instance, British fore igners used the power of the treaties to acquire land that was later appropriated to the church. The Chinese peasants were forced to surrender their resources to foreigners. The activities of foreigners in China resulted to rebellion that was later termed as Boxer rebellion. In 1900, the Boxer members waged war on foreigners, forcing them to seek asylum in the Legation area. The Empress, who requested the foreigners to leave, supported the demonstrators. Consequently, foreigners were at the mercy of the Boxer fighters for approximately fifty-five days. Those attacked included envoys, civilians and foreign soldiers. The government of China weighed options between destroying the residence of foreigners and requesting them to leave peacefully. Within the Chinese forces, there were those who supported extermination of foreigners. Others preferred to send them back to their homelands peacefully. This caused a delay that later on led to the defeat of the boxers and the Chinese government. Eight nations agreed to send troops to crash the boxers. Indeed, twenty thousand soldiers were deployed in China. Through the alliance of eight nations, the imperial army of China was defeated and foreigners captured Beijing. In September 1901, the Boxer protocol was signed, which ended the uprising. Consequently, the Boxers were heavily punished for being aggressive to foreigners. The Chinese government was ordered to pay sixty seven million pounds as compensation to the eight nations involved in the war. This paper will therefore analyze the causes of Boxer uprising. The paper evaluates whether the uprising was successful. To do this, a brief history of the Boxer organization will be outlined. Origin of Boxer Organization As earlier stated, the Boxer organization was also referred to as the society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists. The Boxer secret society was established in the northern coastal province of Shandong. The society consisted of people who had been deprived of their rights. Members of the group had been rendered jobless due to the effects of colonialism. Colonialists had taken everything from them, including their trade.Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, natural disasters had affected many people, which forced them to fight for survival in society. The group gained the name because of their fighting skills. The members of the group had received a superb form of training that enabled them to engage foreigners in war effectively. They had been trained in martial arts and aerobics. The group was typified by spirit ownership that included the spiraling of weapons, aggressive prostrations and reciting prayers to Taoist and Buddhist feelings. Members of Boxer uprising assumed that through exercise, diet, antagonistic arts and hope they would perform surprising acts including flight. The Boxers had strong faith since they believed that spirits would come from heaven to help them in flushing out foreigners from their land. The Boxers comprised of peasants and other members of society that had been displaced by foreigners. Foreigners had taken over opium trade, which was relied upon by locals. Missionaries had further criminalized the use of opium, forcing many youths to adjust their lives. It was difficult for some of them to do without opium. Therefore, they decided to fight back in order to eliminate opium trade. On the hand, the Boxers could not target missionaries alone since Christian servants were protected under the treaty of extraterritoriality[2]. Chinese peasants accused Chinese Christians for allowing foreigners to terrorize them. The Boxers did not have sophisticated weapons that could match the kind of weapons possessed by foreigners. They relied on supernatural spirits, which proved futile in war. The Boxers could be likened to American Ghost Dance fighters. Such fighters try to fight for their rights due to frustrations and stress in society. In China, various activities went on in society. The aims of various groups were diverse. The Boxers of Shandong were particularly concerned with conservative social and ethical principles, such as filial piousness. Most of the leaders of the organization were traditional medicine men. For instance, Zhu Hongdeng was a traditional doctor who specialized in curing ulcers. The leader offered his services for free hence gaining respect in society. He was determined to revive the Qing regime by flushing out all foreigners. His ambition was however cut short when the eight nations invaded China. Causes of Boxer Rebellion The causes of the rebellion can be divided into two. There were internal causes and international causes. Therefore, it can be summarized that global tension and national unrest precipitated the intensification and spread of the Boxer movement. Between 1897 and 1898, farmers in China were hit by a prolonged drought followed by f loods. Many farmers and other small businesspersons decided to move to towns to look for food and better lives.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The Boxer Rebellion specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many people depended on farming, which was badly affected by drought. In towns, Chinese farmers could not find employment because they did not have enough skills to operate machines in industries. Life in urban areas was characterized by frustrations and stress, which forced farmers to seek for other alternatives[3]. They saw that flushing out foreigners would be a good idea. They would then take over businesses owned by Europeans. Another cause of Boxer revolution was the activities of missionaries in the country. The Boxers were against the activities of both Protestants and Catholics. The missionaries flocked China after 1980. The missionaries had hidden agendas, which disillusioned many farmers. They could be given free land and other public resources to construct churches. Furthermore, missionaries were not subjected to law. Missionaries were the major cause of conflict in China. In November 1897 for instance, a group of aggrieved Boxers stormed one church run by a German missionary referred to as George Stenz. The youths killed two priests and injured others. In retaliation, a group of Christians defended the church by engaging the Boxers in attacks. The event is referred to as the Juye incident. The event had a negative effect to the residents of Shandong. The German leader ordered soldiers to occupy Jiazhou Bay, which was in the southern coast of Shandong. These soldiers frequently harassed residents of Shandong because they did not respect missionaries. A section of Boxers attacked missionaries in October 1898 at Liyuantun village. In this village, a Chinese temple had been replaced with a catholic church. The premise had been allocated to the church illegally since the Chinese locals built it. This attack is also important in understanding the Boxer rebellion because it is out of this that the Boxers made a resolution to attack foreigners. Foreign powers realized that tension was high between missionaries and the locals, especially the Boxers. In 1899, the French official intervened to ease out the pressure on missionaries. The official declared that missionaries could intervene in cases involving their relatives without following the due process. This was highly criticized by the Chinese officials. Local Chinese leaders feared that foreign powers were intending to colonize China in bits. Chinese officials protested by claiming that foreign powers had to withdraw missionaries and stop opium trade if they were to be allowed to stay in China. This was not attended to since local leaders had no military power to counter the influence of foreign powers. This is a clear indication that the activities of missionaries angered many people in society. It is not su rprising that Boxers decided to rise against them.Advertising Looking for research paper on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another cause of Boxer revolt is the Hundred Days Reform plan. The program was established in 11 June 1898 and was supposed to run up to 21 September 1898. Progressive officials within the Chinese government established the program with back up from Protestant Christians. The missionaries urged the emperor to come up with reforms that would benefit them. However, the reforms alienated many educated Chinese, who went ahead to support guerilla movements such as the Boxer. The Empress sided with educated Chinese by supporting the activities of Boxer movement. Afterwards, the empress took over power as the Chinese leader but the western powers refused to accept the empress as the de facto leader of China. The new leader promised to overturn the plans established by the previous regime. This was against the interests of Europeans, who wanted to control decision-making processes in the state. The empress was forced to utilize illegal groups such as the Boxers to claim power. The Boxers fo ught to institute a regime that would be responsive to their sufferings. The previous regime served the interests of colonial powers but not the wishes and desires of the majority Chinese. Furthermore, the opium trade precipitated the Boxer rebellion. The western powers forced the Chinese population to utilize opium, which caused many sufferings since productive population was rendered useless mainly because of drug addiction. Local leaders were against European invasion because the illegal drug had disorganized the youths. Other issues that were opposed by the regime include the imposition of unequal treaties and formalizing Christianity as the only form of accepted religion in the state. Foreigners disregarded other religions such as Buddhism and Shinto. Foreigners were given special treatment at the expense of locals. Foreign firms could easily violate the law without punishment. Indeed, by 1900, colonial powers had seized Chinese land and tricked the government into entering in inauspicious treaties. The government realized later that the accords were not beneficial to the people of China. This caused bitterness and intolerant reactions leading to uprisings such as the Boxer revolt. China had been divided into spheres of influence. Each power had its own territory meaning that China was under various foreign administrations. The people of China saw that their culture and sovereignty was under threat. Conservative Chinese saw it wise to engage foreign powers in conflicts in order to restore sovereignty. Therefore, Boxer revolt was staged because of continued loss of sovereignty. Change in the administration is also seen as one of the causes of Boxer revolution. In January 1900, the empress reversed her policy concerning Boxers. The empress supported the activities of Boxers, which was highly disputed by foreign powers. The administration supported the Boxers by giving them technical support and protecting them from the law. The Boxers could torch Christian houses without facing the long hand of the law.[4] The Boxers engaged themselves in rowdy behaviors after realizing that the regime in power supported their activities. On June 5, they uprooted the railway that connected Beijing to other parts of the country. It was difficult for foreigners to conduct business since the railway was the main means of transport. Furthermore, the Boxers engaged in boisterous behaviors by unleashing terror to foreign diplomats. The German official ordered the murder of one of the Boxer member who was found roaming in the Legation Quarter. This is seen as the immediate cause of Boxer war. In the same afternoon, Boxers turned up in large numbers to participate in war. They terrorized Christians and other foreigners by burning their houses and beating them senselessly. The British soldiers engaged the rioters in war, which angered other villagers and the government. The Boxers received support from other extremist groups such as the Kansu braves. The After math It can be reported that the Boxer war was not successful. This is because of various reasons. After the war, the Russians invaded Manchuria and imposed ominous laws. Manchuria was forced to sign treaties that did not benefit its members. Russian forces took advantage of the war to weaken the people of Manchuria economically. The foreign powers occupied most cities and other urban areas in China for over one year. It was reported that German soldiers killed many Boxers because they trailed them to villages. German soldiers had clear instructions to kill but not to take Boxers as prisoners of war. The people of China paid dearly because the French officials moved to villages to collect indemnities in form of wealth[5]. Furthermore, women and children underwent hard times because they were forced to spend their nights in the cold. The Russian forces abused women sexually. On their part, the Japanese beheaded Boxers and their supporters. In the streets, soldiers and civilians loote d public resources and destroyed public infrastructure. Surprisingly, the Cathedral was used as a market center for disposing stolen goods. Some foreign officials distanced their governments from looting but it was mere publicity. Generally, the Boxers suffered because their properties were confiscated and given to Chinese Christians. The society lost a lot because it was reported that Chinese women committed suicide after being raped by soldiers. Families were left unattended, which led to untold sufferings. After the revolution, Chinese people had nothing to eat, forcing them to rely on grants from the government. Many foreign firms took advantage of the war to utilize the services of Chinese workers cheaply. Administratively, the Qing family was not overthrown. Foreign powers guaranteed the empress of her safety in case she cooperated. On the other hand, the advisers of the empress urged her to go on with the war, arguing that her regime would win the war. However, other leaders agreed to surrender but on condition that their security was guaranteed. This shows that the war was not successful at all because most parts of China were taken over by foreign powers. Even areas that were previously controlled by Chinese leaders were taken over by foreign powers. Foreign powers agreed to offer protection to local leaders on condition that they mobilized cheap labor for them. Local leaders were afterwards supposed to collect taxes and present free labor to foreign mining sites. The Qing court cooperated with the foreign powers by allowing the signing of Boxer protocol on 7 September 1901[6]. The treaty was hostile to the people of China because it ordered the execution of planners of the war. This caused psychological trauma to families of the affected. Moreover, the war was never triumphant since China was ordered to pay millions of dollars. The reparation was to be paid within thirty-nine years, which was a short period given that the state was weak economically. It is estimated that each Chinese had to pay one tael of silver. The Chinese government could no longer sustain itself. It had to rely on foreign powers for funding of major projects. This allowed foreigners to manipulate decision-making processes in government. Foreigners were given access to the economy because they could import sub-standard goods and force the locals to buy them. Furthermore, there was unfavorable balance of trade because the Chinese government exported its products to foreign states at a cheaper price. However, goods entering China were exempted of taxes meaning that the government got nothing from importation. Through analysis, it is established that some benefits accrued from the Boxer war. The US government taxed Chinese farmers to educate their children abroad. This was under Boxer indemnity scholarship program. The US government opened up an education center that would teach English language to local youths, who would then apply for scholarships in the US. Those trained in the US would then come back to their country to teach their fellow compatriots. Through this arrangement, the first university was established in China, which was referred to as Tsinghua University. Conclusion The Boxer rebellion was caused by factors such as confiscation of private property and displacement of the local population. The locals wanted to flush out foreigners so that they could get some space to conduct business. The activities of missionaries angered the Chinese because public land was misappropriated to them. The missionaries did not appreciate the existence of other religions. Furthermore, they did not follow the laws of the land. On the other hand, Boxer war was caused by natural disasters whereby farmers lost everything due to draught. They were forced to seek for employment in urban centers. The foreigners were reluctant to offer them jobs since they were illiterate. They decided to flush out foreigners in order to take over their businesses. T he rebellion was never successful because the people of China paid dearly. Many lives were lost and property worth millions of dollars was destroyed. Furthermore, the people of China were taxed in order to compensate foreign powers. Bibliography Elliott, Jane. Some Did It for Civilization, Some Did It for Their Country: A Revised View of the Boxer War. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2002. Print. Harrington, Peter. Peking 1900: The Boxer Rebellion. Oxford: Osprey, 2001,  96. Print. Hevia, James. â€Å"Leaving a Brand on China: Missionary Discourse in the Wake of the Boxer Movement†. Modern China 18.3, 1992, 304-332. Hunt, Michael. â€Å"The Forgotten Occupation: Peking, 1900-1901†. Pacific Historical Review 48.4, 1979, 501-529. Sharf, Frederic and Harrington, Peter. China 1900: The Eyewitnesses Speak. London: Greenhill, 2000. Print. Thompson, Clinton. William Scott Ament and the Boxer Rebellion: Heroism, Hubris, and the Ideal Missionary. Jefferson, NC: McFar land, 2009. Print. Footnotes Jane, Elliott. Some Did It for Civilization, Some Did It for Their Country: A Revised View of the BoxerWar. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, 2002. Print. P.63 Peter, Harrington. Peking 1900: The Boxer Rebellion. Oxford: Osprey, 2001,  96. Print. P. 41 Thompson, Clinton. William Scott Ament and the Boxer Rebellion: Heroism, Hubris, and the Ideal Missionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2009. Print. P.58 Michael, Hunt. â€Å"The Forgotten Occupation: Peking, 1900-1901†. Pacific Historical Review 48.4, 1979, 501-529. Frederic, Sharf and Peter, Harrington. China 1900: The Eyewitnesses Speak. London: Greenhill, 2000. Print. P.124 James Hevia,. â€Å"Leaving a Brand on China: Missionary Discourse in the Wake of the Boxer Movement†. Modern China 18.3, 1992, 304-332. This research paper on The Boxer Rebellion was written and submitted by user Journey Burgess to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

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People are the real wealth of nations.  [8]   The importance of global development in the world has gradually increased. Nowadays we know more about development, how to measure it and achieve it. Furthermore, there are numerous organizations and international institutions, such as the UN, who give development a huge significance within their agenda and who continuously give their support to underdeveloped countries and urge the world to support each other out. Measuring Development There can be no improvement in the field of development if proper analysis is not carried out for every single country and region of the world. Good analysis of statistics provides identification of threats to further development and of possible solutions for improvement: The analysis of development goals is part of the analysis of development.  [9]   Therefore, measuring development is a significant step in identifying the development index of a country. The problem still remains on what is considered to be a component in measuring the development of a country. Development indicators can be many: the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) within a country, the Gross National Income (GNI), the life expectancy rate, gross education enrolment rates and more. Many scholars do not agree on what these development indicators should be. There have been numerous conflicting papers written by scholars stating their own opinions on the matter. For example, economist Jan Drewnowski repeatedly states that while economic development indicators contain concrete figures, social development indicators do not possess such precise quantitative results.  [10]  He states that welfare indicators are observable and measurable phenomena and that welfare is not directly measurable, but he also says that although measuring such development indicators might not produce perfect results, it is better than doing nothing at all. Other scholars provide other views; economists Irma Adelman and Cynthia Taft-Morris make a case for a more flexible approach to the measurement of institutional phenomena, which would rely on expert judgment on qualitative rankings.  [11]  12 Throughout the years many scholars and organizations have attempted to come up with an instrument to measure development. Although there is still no existing perfect method of achieving such data, there is one leading collection of data which is continuously cited by organizations and governments alike. This index-list was undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and is mostly referred to as the Human Development Index (HDI). What are HDR and HDI? The HDI is a result of the Human Development Report (HDR), a report produced every year by the UNDP. The first HDR was published in 1990 while the latest HDR was published last year, marking its 20th anniversary edition.  [13]   Within the report, the UNDP analyses the results of its research in the development field. For example, the 2010 HDR published by the UNDP contained chapters about various branches of development which analyzed either progress or regress on a global level. In the 2010 HDR, one can learn how progress in the health sector has slowed down, while gender differences in the education sector decreased as well. Other examples include the increased (global) levels of education but also the problem of children not learning.  [14]   For better or for worse, the annual HD reports have provided an intrinsic method of measurement of development. One of the highlights of the HDR is undoubtedly the HDI. Most governments, international and national organizations give a lot of attention to the HDI, because it provides a set of ranks and indices attributed to a number of countries in the world.  [15]   The HDI essentially is a figure, ranging from 0 to 1. This is measured by combining indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income.  [16]  All countries participating in the HDR are ranked numerically according to this figure. The HDI list in itself is made up of four categories of groups of countries with: very high human development (42 countries in 2010), high human development (43 countries in 2010), medium human development (42 countries in 2010) and low human development (42 countries in 2010)  [17]  . It is through these three basic development indicators that the UNDP was able to produce such a high-quality index: Life expectancy For this particular development indicator, the HDI takes the average life years of a citizen in a specific country during a period of thirty years. For the 2010 HDI, for every country on the list, the life expectancy rate was calculated on the timeframe starting from 1980 till 2010. The minimum value was set at 20 years, whereas the maximum one was set at 83.2 years.  [18]   Education The second development indicator used in the HDI is education, and this is calculated by looking at the average years of schooling of every minor and adult citizen at every level of education.  [19]  This HDI indicator also encompasses the gross enrollment rate of the country; both the people applying for education and the school-leavers are taken into consideration when formulating the education indicator. This indicator, just like the previous one, reflects the regress or progress made in a specific country on a timeframe of thirty years, from 1980 till 2010.  [20]   Income The last indicator for development is income, or the wealth component.  [21]  When carrying out its research and analysis, the UNDP sets the minimum per capita gross national income (GNI) rate at $163 (purchasing power parity PPP) at its maximum income rate at $108,211.  [22]  The minimum rate was actually attained by Zimbabwe in 2008, marking it the lowest income rate in history so far. This income value of $163 means just around 45 cents of income every day.  [23]   It is therefore believed that the key to further development is found in the combination of the above three development indicators. Geometrically, the HDI ranking can be calculated using the following economic formula: HDI = ( 1/3 Life expectancy rate + 1/3 education rate + 1/3 income rate)  [24]   Using this formula, the UNDP was able to create the HDIs of the last twenty years. The following table portrays some results from the 2010 HDI, showing one country from all four categories of the HDI. For every country represented in the table there are the resultant figures of the three main HDI indicators. HDI Rank Country HDI value Life expectancy (years) Mean years of schooling (years) Expected years of schooling (years) GNI per capita (PPP 2008 $) GNI per capita rank minus HDI rank Nonincome HDI value 1 Norway 0.938 81.0 12.6 17.3 58,810 2 0.954 56 Mexico 0.750 76.7 8.7 13.4 13,971 -3 0.785 89 China 0.663 73.5 7.5 11.4 7,258 -4 0.707 169 Zimbabwe 0.140 47.0 7.2 9.2 176 0 0.472 Data source: UNDP 2010 HDI  [25]   As one can clearly see, the leading country in the world with the best possible value was found to be Norway, which attained the HDI value of 0.938. All Norwegian statistics are impressive in all sectors of development. Leading economical countries, such as China and India, do not have such impressive results, with them ranking 89th and 119th respectively. The country ranking last with the worst HDI value in the world is the African country of Zimbabwe, of which statistics contrast severely with those of Norway. In fact, an average Zimbabwean lives up to 47 years and enjoys only $176 GNI per capita. The Arguments in Favour of HDI Since 1990, there have been many scholars and economists who have praised the initiative behind the HDI. In fact, many have considered the HDI as a huge step towards understanding what human development constitutes and what changes are needed. The HDI was first seen as an ideal way to compare one country with another and to find a specific countrys place in the whole world. In fact, this method simplifies the comparison among countries  [26]  , and this can beneficial to all governments in order for them to perform better as countries and states. Consequently, this index is described as instructive  [27]  as its empirical relevance has proved to be very meaningful to [both] UN agencies and governments all over the world.  [28]   Throughout the years, distinguished political scientists have continuously declared that the HDI contributes in terms of multidimensionality  [29]  . Among such scholars, one finds Streeten (1994 and 1995), Desai (1993) and Ul Haq (1998), with the latter saying that HDI can capture many aspects of human life that were not capture before.  [30]   Most positive feedback concerning HDI has been about how the HDI has managed to reflect the human condition in no other way other methods can. The methodology used in HDI has also been described as being relatively simple  [31]  , thus favoring it over other indices such as the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) and the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI); its strength lies in its simplicity: a simple measure is more understandable to the policy-maker and the public.  [32]   The Arguments against HDI The HDI gained a lot of criticism from scholars and economists alike; this chapter will focus on the most famous critiques. Some writers criticized the indicators the UNDP used to measure development and discourage the practice of classifying countries into the three bins,  [33]  while others disapproved of the whole system, labeling it theoretically weak (Srinivasan 1994). Moreover, Amartya Sen was concerned by the difficulties of capturing the full complexity of human capabilities in a single index.  [34]  There are also a few who think that the HDI leaves a lot of questions unanswered and they proposed development indices specific to each and every country (such as an American HDI)  [35]  In fact, the HDI seems to conduct general analysis, ignoring differences.  [36]  37This last argument is also sustained by Hicks.  [38]   The majority of critiques debate on the HDI indicators used. Some of them do not agree on how the UNDP uses these indicators, or on how the UNDP interprets its results. For example, the Task Force on Education and Gender Equality disapproves the use of education enrolment rates, finding them imprecise, and proposes school completion rates instead, defining them a more appropriate indicator of educational output'.  [39]   Some others argue on the lack of HDI indicators. Eric Neumayer believes that there is the need of a greener HDI; he argues that the HDI does not take into account natural resource exploitation and environmental degradation  [40]  Finally, there is also a group of writers (like McGillivray, 1991) who believe that the HDI is redundant, meaning that it provides very little or no insight to its analysis. Conclusion Taking into consideration what has been said on the subject, one cannot deny that the HDI has been influential in bringing forward the concept of development. It has been an impressive advancement from the previous attempts. Using the HDI as the main tool for development presents many advantages for governments, to improve their countries its role has been instructive throughout. However, many critics emphasize the disadvantages of HDI, such as the lack of sufficient insight or efficient indicators. Therefore, one can conclude that while it still stands as the reigning instrument to measure development, the HDI leaves much to be done and that in order to achieve a more efficient result, one has to make amendments the HDI is not [yet] an indicator that can reflect properly the idea that Human Development concept brings in itself.  [41]  

President Harry S. Trumans Executive Order 9981 :: essays research papers

President Harry S. Truman's Executive Order 9981 On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman orders the desegregation of the Armed Forces by Executive Order 9981. Prior to Harry Truman passing the Executive Order 9981 on February 2, 1948 he asked Congress to create a permanent FEPC, and in December 1946, he appointed a distinguished panel to serve as the President's Commission on Civil Rights, which would recommend "more adequate means and procedures for the protection of the civil rights of the people of the United States." The Commission noted the many restrictions on blacks, and urged that each person, regardless of race, color or national origin, should have access to equal opportunity in securing education, decent housing and jobs. Harry Truman sent a special message to Congress on February 2, 1948 calling for prompt implementation of the Commission's recommendations. Southerners were unhappy with that idea and â€Å"immediately threatened a filibuster†, so Truman, unable to secure action from the Congress had no choice but to move ahead using his executive authority. Critics on Capitol Hill easily stopped his proposals. Some historians believe President Truman had hoped to unite the Democratic Party by promising civil rights to African Americans, but not pushing so fast as to alienate segregationists. Southern Democrats formed the Dixiecrat Party and nominated South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond for president. President Truman’s Executive Board was the beginning step for further integration in the Armed Forces. Following President Truman's Executive Order, two boards were established to make recommendations about integration. A presidential commission chaired by Charles Fahy recommended an end to discrimination in jobs, schooling, assignment, and recruitment. In 1952 it was the Korean War that finally led to the desegregation of previously all-white combat unit. The main goal of President Trumans Executive Order 9981 was to grant equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin. â€Å"There shall be created in the National Military Establishment an advisory committee to be known as the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, which shall be composed of seven members to be designated by the President.† He also states that the Committee â€Å"shall confer and advise the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, and the Secretary of the Air Force†. Over 2.5 million African-American men registered for the draft, and black women also volunteered in large numbers. While serving in the Army, Army Air Forces, Navy,