Although more tangible advances in Civil Rights did not come until the 1950s and beyond, the foundation for those advances were laid during the war years. There were new employment opportunities for African Americans, yet these opportunities sometimes created tension with white workers, as documented by the race riot at the Alabama Dry Dock and Ship Building plant in Mobile. In Savannah, the American Federation of Labor did invite black carpetners to join the local union. The greater strides would come later, but as small as the steps were during the war, they were in a forward direction.