Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 5.djvu/496

 112 STAT. 3254 PUBLIC LAW 105-355 —NOV. 6, 1998 16 USC 461 note [table]. TITLE III—TUSKEGEE AIRMEN NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, ALABAMA SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. As used in this title: (1) HISTORIC SITE.—The term "historic site" means the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site as established by section 303. (2) SECRETARY. —The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior. (3) TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. —The term "Tuskegee Airmen" means the thousands of men and women who were trained at Tuskegee University's Moton Field to serve in America's African-American Air Force units during World War II and those men and women who participate in the Tuskegee Experience today, who are represented by Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (4) TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY. —The term "Tuskegee University" means the institution of higher education by that name located in the State of Alabama and founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881, formerly named Tuskegee Institute. SEC. 302. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) FINDINGS. —The Congress finds the following: (1) The struggle of African-Americans for greater roles in North American military conflicts spans the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Opportunities for African-American participation in the United States military were always very limited and controversial. Quotas, exclusion, and racial discrimination were based on the prevailing attitude in the United States, particularly on the part of the United States military, that African-Americans did not possess the intellectual capacity, aptitude, and skills to be successful fighters. (2) As late as the 1940's these perceptions continued within the United States military. Key leaders within the United States Army Air Corps did not believe that African-Americans possessed the capacity to become successful military pilots. After succumbing to pressure exerted by civil rights groups and the black press, the Army decided to train a small number of African-American pilot cadets under special conditions. Although prejudice and discrimination against African-Americans was a national phenomenon, not just a southern trait, it was more intense in the South where it had hardened into rigidly enforced patterns of segregation. Such was the environment where the military chose to locate the training of the Tuskegee Airmen. (3) The military selected Tuskegee Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) as a civilian contractor for a variety of reasons. These included the school's existing facilities, engineering and technical instructors, and a climate with ideal flying conditions year round. Tuskegee Institute's strong interest in providing aeronautical training for African-American youths was also an important factor. Students from the school's civilian pilot training program had some of the best test scores when compared to other students from programs across the Southeast.

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