Woodrow Wilson Segregates the Federal Civil Service, Reversing Reconstruction Gains

President Woodrow Wilson, after promising Black voters fair treatment during his 1912 campaign, quickly moved to segregate the federal civil service. Treasury Secretary William McAdoo and Postmaster General Albert Burleson implemented segregated offices, cafeterias, and restrooms throughout the federal government in Washington DC. Black federal workers who had held integrated positions since Reconstruction were demoted or fired. Thousands lost their jobs. When civil rights leader Monroe Trotter confronted Wilson at the White House, Wilson dismissed him angrily. The segregation of the federal government endorsed Jim Crow at the highest level.