what did the first action ever taken by the federal government to prohibit employment discrimination, Executive Order 8802, do?

Prohibited government contractors from engaging in employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin
Provided enforcement authority to the Department of Labor to ensure nondiscrimination by government contractors
Prohibited discrimination in the federal civilian work force
Ordered the desegreation of the United States armed forces

The correct answer is:

Executive Order 8802 prohibited discrimination in the federal civilian work force based on race, color, or national origin. It did not specifically address government contractors or the desegregation of the United States armed forces.

The first action ever taken by the federal government to prohibit employment discrimination, Executive Order 8802, did the following:

1. Prohibited government contractors from engaging in employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

2. Provided enforcement authority to the Department of Labor to ensure nondiscrimination by government contractors.

It is important to note that Executive Order 8802 did not explicitly prohibit discrimination in the federal civilian work force or order the desegregation of the United States armed forces.

The first action taken by the federal government to prohibit employment discrimination was Executive Order 8802. It was issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 25, 1941, in response to a growing demand to address racial discrimination in the United States. Here's how you can break down the answer to understand what Executive Order 8802 did:

1. Read the question: The first step is to carefully read the question to understand what it is asking.

2. Identify key information: Look for important details in the question that can guide your search for the answer. In this case, the key information is "Executive Order 8802" and "first action ever taken by the federal government to prohibit employment discrimination."

3. Research Executive Order 8802: You can use a search engine to look up information about Executive Order 8802. Government websites, historical archives, or reputable sources like educational institutions can provide reliable information.

4. Analyze the options: Look at the provided options and match them with the information you found through your research.

Option 1: "Prohibited government contractors from engaging in employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin" - This option is accurate because Executive Order 8802 did prohibit government contractors from practicing employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

Option 2: "Provided enforcement authority to the Department of Labor to ensure nondiscrimination by government contractors" - This option is also true. The order did give the Department of Labor authority to enforce nondiscrimination practices among government contractors.

Option 3: "Prohibited discrimination in the federal civilian work force" - This option is not accurate, as Executive Order 8802 specifically focused on government contractors rather than the entire federal civilian workforce.

Option 4: "Ordered the desegregation of the United States armed forces" - This option is incorrect. While desegregation of the armed forces did occur later, it was not a part of Executive Order 8802.

5. Select the correct answer: Based on your analysis, options 1 and 2 are both accurate statements about the effects of Executive Order 8802. Therefore, the correct answer to the question is a combination of those two options: it prohibited government contractors from engaging in employment discrimination based on race, color, or national origin, and provided enforcement authority to the Department of Labor to ensure nondiscrimination by government contractors.