Truman’s Committee:

“Those with competing philosophies have stressed- and are shamelessly distorting- our shortcomings… They have tried to prove our democracy an empty fraud, and our nation a consistent oppressor of underprivileged people. This may seem ludicrous to Americans, but it is sufficiently important to worry our friends […] the final triumph of the democratic ideal is not so inevitable that we can ignore what the world thinks of us or our record” (President Truman’s Committee 449).

The above quote speaks to the true motives of the US government’s actions taken toward civil rights. The intent behind the small steps that the US government took came from a calculated power play and popularity struggle. Devoid of morals, the government determined that civil rights were indeed necessary. However, they came to this conclusion in order to appeal to the opinions of other nations and therefore to secure their spot as a national superpower. This quote also suggests that the idea of America as an oppressor is ridiculous. Even going so far as to call the accusations, “shamelessly distorting” of American shortcomings. This quote proves that despite the strife and struggle of leaders and activist groups the US government was still oblivious to the moral necessity of equality for African Americans.