Racial liberalism is an era in American history during the 1940s that is considered by many historians as the precursor to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs laid out a legacy that inspired and empowered many American citizens who had fallen victim to the Great Depression to challenge the power of corporations and other institutions.
The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness about segregation and racism during World War II.
The War was also a source of racial liberalism in that previously marginalized groups of Americans were able to gain a foothold in the economy due to the need for a strong labor force.
There were three basic ideas to 1940s racial liberalism: Some historians argue that though racial liberalism helped to pave the way for civil rights movements in America, it failed to recognize that people from many different ethnic backgrounds were affected by racism in the United States.