<P> Socialist A. Philip Randolph emerged as one of the most visible spokesmen for African American civil rights . In 1941, Randolph, Bayard Rustin and A.J. Muste proposed a march on Washington to protest racial discrimination in war industries and to propose the desegregation of the U.S. armed forces . The march was cancelled after President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, or the Fair Employment Act . Roosevelt's order applied to banning discrimination within only the war industries, but not within the armed forces . However, the Fair Employment Act is generally perceived as a success for African American labor rights . </P> <P> In 1942, an estimated 18,000 blacks gathered at Madison Square Garden to hear Randolph kick off a campaign against discrimination in the military, in war industries, in government agencies and in labor unions . Following the act, during the Philadelphia Transit Strike of 1944 the government backed African American workers' striking to gain positions formerly limited to white employees . </P> <P> In 1947, Randolph, along with colleague Grant Reynolds, renewed efforts to end discrimination in the armed services, forming the Committee Against Jim Crow in Military Service, later renamed the League for Non-Violent Civil Disobedience . On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman abolished racial segregation in the armed forces through Executive Order 9981 . Thomas led his last presidential campaign in 1948, after which he became a critical supporter of the postwar liberal consensus . The party retained some pockets of local success in cities such as Milwaukee, Bridgeport, Connecticut and Reading, Pennsylvania . In New York City, they often ran their own candidates on the Liberal Party line . </P> <P> Reunification with the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was long a goal of Norman Thomas and his associates remaining in the Socialist Party . As early as 1938, Thomas had acknowledged that a number of issues had been involved in the split which led to the formation of the rival Social Democratic Federation, including "organizational policy, the effort to make the party inclusive of all socialist elements not bound by communist discipline; a feeling of dissatisfaction with social democratic tactics which had failed in Germany" as well as "the socialist estimate of Russia; and the possibility of cooperation with communists on certain specific matters". Still, he held that "those of us who believe that an inclusive socialist party is desirable, and ought to be possible, hope that the growing friendliness of socialist groups will bring about not only joint action but ultimately a satisfactory reunion on the basis of sufficient agreement for harmonious support of a socialist program". </P>

Who was allowed to join the socialist party