HISTORY

Since 1775, the United States Marine Corps has served our country in peace and war. Today, the Marine Corps still serves the nation as a force in readiness, prepared to serve whenever the nation calls. The Montford Point Marine Association (MPMA) is proud to be a thriving part of the "Marine Corps Family." On the 25th day of June 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order No. 8802 establishing the fair employment practice that began to erase discrimination in the Armed Forces. A board headed by Brigadier General Keller E. Rocher was organized to study the integration of African Americans being assigned to the Composite Defense Battalion, which included coastal artillery, antiaircraft, infantry and tanks. In 1942, President Roosevelt established a presidential directive giving African Americans an opportunity to be recruited into the Marine Corps. These African Americans, from all states, were not sent to the traditional boot camps of Parris Island, South Carolina and San Diego, California. Instead, African American Marines were segregated - experiencing basic training at Montford Point - a facility at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Approximately twenty thousand (20,000) African American Marines received basic training at Montford Point between 1942 and 1949. Twenty years after World War II, in the summer of 1965, an enterprising group of Marine veterans residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formulated and developed plans to hold a national reunion of the Montford Pointers. Among them was the late Civil Rights Leader, Attorney Cecil B. Moore. From September 17th - 18th, 1965, over four hundred former and active duty Marines, representing seventeen States attended the reunion held in the Adelphia Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. The great response led to the establishment of the Montford Point Marine Association, a non-profit veteran organization chartered in Philadelphia. Subsequent charters were immediately organized in more than eleven additional cities. Today the Association proudly boasts 33 active Chapters. LEGACY Approximately 20,000 African American recruits received training at Montford Point Camp (less than 10% of the Marine Corps end strength) during World War II.  The initial intent of the Marine Corps hierarchy was to discharge these African American Marines after the War, returning them to civilian life - leaving the Marine Corps an all-white organization.  Attitudes changed and reality took hold as the war progressed.  Once given the chance to prove themselves, it became impossible to deny the fact that this new breed of Marine was just as capable as all other Marines regardless of race, color, creed or National origin. Exceptional recruits were singled out to assist in the training of their own platoons.  Mortimer A. Cox, Arnold R. Bostick, Edgar R. Davis, Jr., Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson and Edgar R. Huff were selected for their leadership' and maturity and became the First Black Drill Instructors. These first DI's would join the staff to reinforce the training mission at Montford Point which was to develop African American Marines for support roles in the Corps, following their graduation. In July of 1948 President Harry S. Truman issued Executive Order #9981 negating segregation.  In September of 1949, Montford Marine Camp was deactivated - ending seven years of segregation. On April 19, 1974, Montford Point Camp was renamed Camp Johnson, in honor of the late Sergeant Major, Gilbert H. "Hashmark" Johnson.  Johnson was one of the first African American's to join the Corps, a Distinguished Montford Point Drill Instructor and a Veteran of WWII and Korea. The Camp remains the only Marine Corps installation named in honor of an African American.  Visit the Historic Reading Room (building M-100) aboard Camp Johnson to learn more about the Montford Point legacy and feel the presence of this special breed of Marine.

Reaffirming Policy Of Full Participation In The Defense Program By All Persons, Regardless Of Race, Creed, Color, Or National Origin, And Directing Certain Action In Furtherance Of Said Policy

June 25, 1941

WHEREAS it is the policy of the United States to encourage full participation in the national defense program by all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin, in the firm belief that the democratic way of life within the Nation can be defended successfully only with the help and support of all groups within its borders; and

WHEREAS there is evidence that available and needed workers have been barred from employment in industries engaged in defense production solely because of considerations of race, creed, color, or national origin, to the detriment of workers' morale and of national unity:

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Statutes, and as a prerequisite to the successful conduct of our national defense production effort, I do hereby reaffirm the policy of the United States that there shall be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries or government declare that it is the duty of employers and of labor organizations, in furtherance of said policy and of this order, to provide for the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, without discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin;

And it is hereby ordered as follows:

1. All departments and agencies of the Government of the United States concerned with vocational and training programs for defense that such programs are administered without discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin;

2. All contracting agencies of the Government of the United States shall include in all defense contracts hereafter negotiated by them a provision obligating the contractor not to discriminate against any worker because of race, creed, color, or national origin;

3. There is established in the Office of Production Management a Committee on Fair Employment Practice, which shall consist of a chairman and four other members to be appointed by the President. The Chairman and members of the Committee shall serve as such without compensation but shall be entitled to actual and necessary transportation, subsistence and other expenses incidental to performance of their duties. The Committee shall receive and investigate complaints of discrimination in violation of the provisions of this order and shall take appropriate steps to redress grievances which it finds to be valid. The Committee shall also recommend to the several departments and agencies of the Government of the United States and to the President all measures which may be deemed by it necessary or proper to effectuate the provisions of this order.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
The White House,
June 25, 1941.

The Law

For historical reasons, these are presented as originally passed by Congress or issued by the President. Many, but not necessarily all, of the subsequent amendments are also gathered here. For the current texts of the laws we enforce, as amended, please see Laws Enforced by the EEOC.

In June 1941, on the eve of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 8802 prohibiting government contractors from engaging in employment discrimination based on race, color or national origin. This order is the first presidential action ever taken to prevent employment discrimination by private employers holding government contracts. The Executive Order applies to all defense contractors, but contains no enforcement authority. President Roosevelt signs the Executive Order primarily to ensure that there are no strikes or demonstrations disrupting the manufacture of military supplies as the country prepares for War.

Executive Order 9981

In July 1948, President Harry S. Truman orders the desegregation of the Armed Forces by Executive Order 9981. The order requires that there be "equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin." America's fighting forces are actually integrated only when the Korean War begins in 1952.

Executive Order 10925

In March 1961, President John F. Kennedy signs Executive Order 10925 prohibiting federal government contractors from discriminating on account of race and establishing the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Departing from previous presidential directives, this Order grants the Committee, initially chaired by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, authority to impose sanctions for violations of the Executive Order. President Kennedy states this enforcement authority signals a new "determination to end job discrimination once and for all."

Equal Pay Act of 1963

In June 1963, Congress passes the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) protecting men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination. The EPA is the First National Civil Rights legislation focusing on employment discrimination. The Department of Labor has responsibility for enforcement until 1978.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

At 7:40 on the evening of June 19, after the longest debate in its nearly 180-year history, the U.S. Senate passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The vote in favor of the bill is 73 to 27. Thirteen days later, on July 2, the U.S. House of Representatives passes the bill and President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the bill into law that same evening. Five hundred amendments were made to the bill and Congress has debated the bill for 534 hours.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in a broad array of private conduct including public accommodations, governmental services and education. One section of the Act, referred to as Title VII, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion and national origin. Title VII applies to private employers, labor unions and employment agencies. The Act prohibits discrimination in recruitment, hiring, wages, assignment, promotions, benefits, discipline, discharge, layoffs and almost every aspect of employment.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 also creates the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a five-member, Bipartisan Commission whose mission is to eliminate unlawful employment discrimination. The law provides that the Commissioners, no more than three of whom may be from the same political party, are appointed to five-year terms by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Chairman of the agency appoints the General Counsel. EEOC is to open its doors for business on July 2, 1965 -- one year after Title VII's enactment into law.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act

Congress passes the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) protecting individuals who are between 40 and 65 years of age from discrimination in employment. The Department of Labor has enforcement responsibility. Three years earlier, Congress had voted down an amendment to Title VII to include age discrimination as an unlawful employment practice.

Executive Order 11246

Working to develop close relationships with other federal agencies, EEOC enters into its first Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Labor (DOL). DOL enforces Executive Order 11246, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, which imposes nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements as a condition of doing business with the Federal Government. The two agencies agree to share information and coordinate investigations of government contractors. Additionally, when EEOC finds a violation of Title VII but is unable to secure an acceptable agreement, then EEOC will refer the charge to DOL to institute an enforcement action under the Executive Order.

In its fourth attempt to improve Title VII's effectiveness since its enactment in 1964, Congress amends Title VII by approving the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. The report accompanying the bill states: "The time has come for Congress to correct the defects in its own legislation. The promises of equal job opportunity made in 1964 must [now] be made realities . . . ." Accordingly, the 1972 amendments are designed to give EEOC the authority to "back up" its administrative findings and to increase the jurisdiction and reach of the agency.

The amendments result in the following:

As a result of the 1972 Amendments, the President, rather than the EEOC Chairman, selects the agency's General Counsel. President Richard M. Nixon nominates and the Senate confirms William Carey to be the EEOC General Counsel.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Congress passes the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 501 prohibits the Federal Government as an employer from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. EEOC is now responsible for enforcement of Section 501. The Act proves to be the model for Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of disability by private employers.

Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

Congress amends Title VII by passing the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 to make clear that discrimination based on pregnancy is unlawful sex discrimination. This legislation reverses the Supreme Court's Gilbert decision.

Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978

The 1978 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 make the processes for federal employees' claims of discrimination on the basis of disability and the available remedies virtually identical to federal sector Title VII processes and remedies.

Civil Service Reform Act of 1978

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 abolishes the U.S. Civil Service Commission and distributes its functions primarily among three agencies: (1) the newly established Office of Personnel Management; (2) the Merit Systems Protection Board; and (3) EEOC. EEOC assumes responsibility for enforcing anti-discrimination laws applicable to the civilian federal workforce as well as coordinating all federal equal employment opportunity programs.

Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978

Seventeen federal agencies and departments are responsible for enforcing 40 different non-discrimination statutes and Executive orders. To eliminate duplication and conflict, President Jimmy Carter signs Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 making EEOC responsible for coordinating all federal equal employment opportunity programs. Only three federal agencies, EEOC, the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs are left with significant EEO responsibility. Responsibility for enforcing the Equal Pay Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act is transferred from the Department of Labor to EEOC.

Executive Order 12067

President Jimmy Carter signs Executive Order 12067 abolishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Coordinating Council and transferring its responsibilities to EEOC. EEOC now has lead responsibility for giving direction to the government's equal employment opportunity efforts by developing uniform enforcement standards to apply throughout government, including standardized data collection and data sharing, joint training programs and investigations and consistent policies.

Deficit Reduction Act of 1984

Congress amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to require that employees' spouses ages 65 through 69 receive the same treatment under group health plans as employees' spouses under age 65.

Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1986 (1986)

Congress approves eliminating the upper age cap of 70 from the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Congress also exempts through December 31, 1993, state and local governments when hiring or retiring firefighters or law enforcement officials from age limitations provided those limitations were in effect in March 1983. Congress also provides that colleges and universities through 1993, may involuntarily retire professors at age 70, if the professor is serving under contracts of unlimited tenure.

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Congress passes the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) which amends the Immigration and Nationality Act. IRCA states that employers can be sanctioned and fined for hiring illegal aliens. One section of IRCA complements Title VII by prohibiting employers with four to 14 employees from discriminating on the basis of national origin and also prohibits citizenship discrimination.

Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Act of 1988

Congress passes the Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Act of 1988 (ADCAA) thereby reinstating the rights of Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) charging parties to file a private lawsuit beyond the two or three year statute of limitations for an additional 540 days (18 months). This Congressional extension permits EEOC to complete the administrative processing of backlogged ADEA charges while the charging party retains his or her right to file a lawsuit.

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

In July, President George Bush signs into law the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) -- the world's first comprehensive civil rights law for people with disabilities. The Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment (Title I), in public services (Title II), in public accommodations (Title III) and in telecommunications (Title IV). EEOC is responsible for enforcing Title I's prohibition against discrimination against people with disabilities in employment. Title I does not become effective until two years after the President signs the bill (July 26, 1992). The ADA is described as the Emancipation Proclamation for the disability community.

Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990

In October, Congress passes the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 (OWBPA) overruling the Supreme Court's 1989 decision in Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio v. Betts. Betts held that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) does not forbid age discrimination in employee benefits except in rare circumstances. The OWBPA amends the ADEA to prohibit age discrimination in employee benefits and also establishes minimum standards for an employee's voluntary waiver of an ADEA claim.

Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Amendments of 1990

Congress passes the Age Discrimination Claims Assistance Amendments of 1990 (ADCAA II) providing Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) charging parties an additional 450 days in which to file their own private ADEA lawsuits. This Act permits EEOC to process the remaining backlog of age discrimination charges while preserving the rights of charging parties to later bring their own lawsuits.

Civil Rights Act of 1991

Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (CRA) thereby overruling several Supreme Court decisions rendered in the late 1980s that had made it more difficult for plaintiffs to prevail in their employment discrimination suits and to recover fees and costs when they won their lawsuits. The CRA amends procedurally and substantively Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The amendments provide for the first time that the parties can request jury trials and that successful plaintiffs can recover compensatory and punitive damages in intentional employment discrimination cases. The CRA also expands Title VII's protections to include Congressional and high level political appointees and eliminates the two and three year statute of limitations period for filing private lawsuits under the ADEA.

EEOC Education, Technical Assistance and Training Revolving Fund Act

Congress passes the EEOC Education, Technical Assistance and Training Revolving Fund Act of 1992 enabling EEOC to provide technical assistance and materials to stakeholders. The fund is supported from payments received from the recipients of EEOC training.

Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1996

Congress passes the Age Discrimination in Employment Amendments of 1996 which permanently reinstate an exemption that permits state and local governments to use age as a basis for hiring and retiring law enforcement officers and firefighters.

Higher Education Amendments of 1998

The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 are enacted amending the Age Discrimination in Employment Act to permit colleges and universities to offer special age-based retirement incentives for tenured faculty members at institutions of higher education; this amendment replaces the former temporary exemptions which permitted colleges and universities to mandatorily retire tenured faculty members at age 65 and later at age 70.

Executive Order 13145

In February, President Bill Clinton signs Executive Order 13145 prohibiting federal departments and agencies from making employment decisions based on protected genetic information. In issuing the first Executive Order of the 21st Century, the President states that he hoped the action would "set an example and pose a challenge for every employer in America" to adopt a policy not to discriminate on the basis of protected genetic information "because . . . no employer should ever review your genetic records along with your resume." The Executive Order assigns to EEOC the responsibility for coordinating the policy with federal departments and agencies.

Significance of the Montford Point Camp No. 1 Historic District

    The Montford Point Camp No. 1 Historic District helps document the training of all African-American Marines during World War II.  Completed in mid-August 1942 following the specifications for battalion units, Montford Point Camp No. 1 functioned as the principal boot camp training facility for the Marines’ first African-American recruits.  The camp originally featured six enlisted washrooms, a mess hall, an administration building, a dispensary, a recreation building, a post exchange, two warehouses, and a heating plant, all of frame construction, that surrounded 108 portable homosote huts.  The institution of the draft created a large influx of recruits, and the Montford Point camp became the Recruit Depot for mustering African-American troops, which required substantial enlargement of the camp in terms of organization and physical plant. New buildings constructed of tile block with stucco veneers were built along the west side of Montford Landing Road by mid-1943, which included the Marines’ typical regimental post buildings found throughout Camp Lejeune, including a larger administration building, an infirmary, a hostess house, a brig, a post theater, classroom buildings, and gun sheds.  Late in 1943 a training pool was also erected at Montford Point in order to provide swimming training for African-American recruits.   

    Reflecting these significant themes providing African-American Marines with the skills and instruction necessary for conducting war, the Montford Point Camp No. 1 Historic District is eligible for the National Register as a “Training Unit” within the historic context “The Black Marine Training Experience, Montford Point.”  Built between 1942 and 1943 in order to house and provide the Marines’ first African-American enlistees with boot camp training, the Montford Point Camp No. 1 Historic District meets National Register significance criteria for its association with Camp Lejeune’s principal mission, the training of personnel, and for its association with the training of the first African-American Marines.  As a result of Camp No. 1’s establishment as the Montford Point Recruit Depot, a full range of regimental post administrative and support buildings was erected.  Reflecting and reinforcing the hierarchical organizational structure of personnel into clearly defined military groups, the Montford Point Camp No. 1 Historic District is also significant as a distinctive built environment reflecting and reinforcing military organization and hierarchy.

 Significance of the Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A Historic District

   In response to the rapid mobilization demanded by World War II, the Marine Corps erected camps for advanced or secondary training in addition to recruit training.  Considered temporary installations, camps typically featured less substantial, temporary structures, such as canvas tents, fiberboard huts, steel Quonsets, or one- or two-story wood-frame buildings.  At the Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A, one of a series of camps erected at Montford Point to house and train new African-American recruits and post-boot camp trainees following a policy of strict segregation, the Marine Corps utilized semipermanent, clay tile block construction.  The camps followed the composition of the battalion training unit, similar to the regimental units at Hadnot Point, which in its most elemental form consisted of barracks and an associated mess hall.  At Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A, the barracks consisted of individual platoon buildings.  Marines undergoing training at Camp No. 2 as part of the Messman’s Branch occupied platoon barracks along Company Street West; ammunition and depot company trainees were housed in the barracks located along Company Street East.  White officersand special enlisted personnel were accommodated in the adjacent Camp No. 2A.  The camps also possessed battalion administrative and support facilities, including a headquarters, a post exchange, warehouses, an officers’ mess, an enlisted mess, and segregated washroom facilities.  Physically separate from the main Hadnot Point area, Montford Point was chosen by Marine officials for the training and housing of African-American recruits in order to maintain more easily the strict segregation of white andAfrican-American Marines require at that time and to limit potential for racial disturbances. 

Documenting these significant historical themes related to the “Training Unit” within the historic context “The Black Marine Training Experience, Montford Point,” the Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A Historic District is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Built between 1942 and 1943 in order to house and train the Marine Corps’ first African-American enlistees for the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Composite Defense Battalions, as well as 63 combat-support companies, the Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A relate directly to the Marine Corps’ primary mission during World War II, providing Marines with the skills and instruction necessary for conducting war.  The Camps are also directly associated with the recruitment and training of the first African-Americans to enter the Marine Corps.  In addition, the Camps reflect the hierarchical organizational structure of the battalion-group training unit composed of barracks, mess halls, warehouses, and associated administration and support structures.  Established in response to the Marines’ policy of providing identical but separate facilities for white and black recruits, the Montford Point Camps Nos. 2 and 2A Historic District is also eligible for the National Register as a distinctive built environment reflecting and reinforcing military organization and hierarchy.

 

 

Contact Web Master

 

FEATURED SITES
	ABOUT US read more > HISTORY read more > Herman Rhet "Final Roll Call" Pictures of African Americans During World War II Fighting for Freedom Documentary Order Form

Montford Point Marines

Transcrips

What Happened on Your Birthday?