1947
Federal employee loyalty program
Executive Order 9835 orders loyalty investigations of federal employees and authorizes the Attorney General’s list of “subversive” organizations.
Source: Truman Library
The early Cold War. 1946–1959
Loyalty programs, congressional investigations of subversion and the Smith Act prosecutions. Brown v. Board of Education rejects segregation in public schools.
The questions. As the record frames them.
The constitutional questions this era’s decisions and laws turned on.
- How far can national security limit association and speech?
- Can a President act without Congress in an emergency?
The record. 10 entries, in order.
Every case, amendment and event in Constilumen dated 1946 to 1959.
1948
Executive Order 9981
President Truman orders “equality of treatment and opportunity” in the armed services without regard to race, beginning the desegregation of the military.
Source: National Archives
1950
Internal Security Act
Passed over President Truman’s veto. Requires Communist organizations to register and authorizes detention of suspected subversives in a national emergency. The detention title is repealed in 1971.
Source: U.S. Senate
1951
Dennis v. United States
No. Conspiring to advocate overthrow of the government could be punished given the gravity of the danger.
Source: Opinion of the Court
1951
Twenty-second Amendment: Presidential term limits
No person may be elected President more than twice.
Source: National Archives
1952
Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer
No. The President had no power to seize the mills under the Constitution or any statute. Justice Jackson’s concurrence set out the framework for presidential power still used today.
Source: Opinion of the Court
1954
Brown v. Board of Education
Yes. “In the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”
Source: Opinion of the Court
1954
Senate censures Joseph McCarthy
After the televised Army–McCarthy hearings, the Senate votes 67–22 to condemn Senator McCarthy for conduct “contrary to senatorial traditions.”
Source: U.S. Senate
1957
Federal troops enforce desegregation in Little Rock
President Eisenhower federalizes the Arkansas National Guard and sends the 101st Airborne to escort nine Black students into Central High School after the governor used the Guard to block them.
Source: National Archives
1958
Cooper v. Aaron
No. States are bound by the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the Constitution, and its decisions cannot be nullified by state officials.
Source: Opinion of the Court
The language. What stood out in print.
Tracked terms printed most often in 1946–1959 compared with their own average across 1789–2022. A value of 2× means the word appeared twice as often as usual.
- communism3.9×
- totalitarianism3.3×
- isolationism3.1×
- fascism2.1×
- national security2.1×
- civil liberties2.0×
Executive orders. Presidencies of the era.
Totals for each full presidency, including years outside the era. Counts before 1945 include unnumbered orders.
| President | Took office | Orders | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry S. Truman | 1945 | 907 | 117 |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower | 1953 | 484 | 61 |
Source: The American Presidency Project. All presidencies