Affirmative Action Essay

Affirmative action is a policy or a program that seeks to redress past discrimination of minorities through active measures in order to ensure equal opportunity, as in education and employment. In other words, it is policy that was established to hopefully eliminate racial preference and equalize the United States. The fight against discrimination has been a long lasting one that started with the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, which ended in the desegregation of all schools (Ficker). Affirmative action was put into place in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Executive Order that mandated government contractors to “take affirmative action” in all aspects of hiring and employing minorities (Brunner). Upon its arrival, the policy

In 1943 Congress introduced the very first equal employment bill but it failed to pass both houses. Congress for the next twenty years introduced equal employment bills but they were either kicked by committee or died under the threat of Senate filibusters. The failure of these bills were no surprise given the history of discrimination in this country but what was a surprise was the success of the equal employment provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Since the 1920’s, women have been fighting for equal rights. Women’s groups spent decades working to pass laws that would ban gender discrimination. Finally, in 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress even though

Among the citizens of America affirmative action is a sensitive subject with some seeing it as a necessity to help those who have been repressed and others seeing it as reverse racism. Many Americans may also be conflicted about affirmative action, because it is such a complex issue. People fervently debate affirmative action, because it is a complex issue revolving around one’s own race, experiences, and desires.

Page 182/chapter 5: I learned that 1960s was the most important year for civil rights legislation. At the same time, women also fought against pay discrimination because women get less pay than men do. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 made such discrimination illegal and women’s pay gradually increases to same rate as men do. I am glad women has equal pay.

Affirmative action was a temporary remedy that would last until there was a level playing field for all Americans. However, this was not the case; in the 1970s, there was a lot of backlash and arguments about affirmative action and how it was a form of reverse racism. The Bakke Case made the argument of reverse racism famous. “In 1978, a white male, had been rejected two years in a row by a medical school that had accepted less qualified minority applications- the school had a separate admissions policy for minorities and reserved 16 out of 100 places for minority students” (Brunner & Rowen, 2014). From this, the Supreme Court made it illegal to have quota systems in affirmative action programs.

The purpose of affirmative action is to ensure equal opportunity for minorities. But it has strayed from its original intent and has become largely a program to achieve not equal opportunity but equal results. It is a system of quotas forced upon American businesses and working class by the federal government. A law which forces people to look at race before looking at the individual cannot promote equal opportunity. Affirmative action continues the judgement of minorities by race; it causes reverse discrimination, and contradicts its purpose.

One of the repercussions that the NOW had fought for were the Equal Rights Act and Title VII that was included in the Civil Rights Act. The Equal Rights Act was signed in 1963 and was the first federal law against sex-discrimination. Title VII prohibited discrimination in the workforce based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. These two important pieces of documents were the most significant laws for women equality.

Equality and Civil Rights is complex in nature that the 14th Amendment (Equal Protection Clause) is the closest approach to a literal statement of equality, it declares: “No State shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” The clause was originally intended to benefit newly freed slaves. Over time, it has acquired a broader meaning. Today, it forbids states and their local governments to draw unreasonable distinctions between classes of persons. The equal rights amendment (ERA) was introduced in 1923. Their policy was for protection of women and based largely on sexual stereotypes, which has been woven into the legal fabric of American life. This protectionism has limited the freedom of women to compete with men socially and economically on an equal footing. The movement to provide equal rights to women advanced a step with the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963. That act required equal pay for men and women doing similar work. On the other hand, to remove the restrictions of protectionism, women needed equal opportunity for employment. They got it in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and later the legislation. The commitment that led to affirmative action programs expanded opportunities for women, minorities, and those who are disabled.

In March 1961 Executive Order 10925 was signed into order. It stated that government contractors could not discriminated. This established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. It was made as a new determination to end job discrimination. In June 1963 the government passes the Equal Pay Act which means that women and men who do the same work must get same pay. In 1964 the Senate passes the Civil Rights Act. It prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, governmental services, and education. This act prohibits discrimination in basically all aspects of employment. In June 1966 EEOC issues Guidelines on discrimination because of religion.

1965 through 1970 were years of social progress, a period of time that resulted in major advancements in equality for U.S. citizens. Discrepancies in privilege and opportunity across groups of people were not only identified and determined to be unethical, but many of these issues were also treated with legal remedies. In the earlier part of the decade, President Lyndon B. Johnson was able to complete the monumental task of passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, officially outlawing discrimination on the basis of origin, gender, race or religion. Discrimination was an issue that not only permeated educational, governmental, occupational and recreational institutions, but also affected the way in which the Bill of Rights was applied to certain groups of people. Though much of the focus of the movement focused on race, women were still fighting to be seen as equal to men.

     Martin and Tulgan (2002) claims, “ Affirmative action is the positive steps an employer takes to employ women and minorities in numbers equal to or greater than their availability and to proactively seek to employ those with disabilities and veterans” (p.89). Over the course of the years equal employment opportunity laws and regulations were put in place. The Equal Pay Act was established in 1963 to set pay based on the job category, and to prevent wage differential based on gender. In 1965 the Executive Order 11246 was passed to stop

Affirmative Action has been an issue of contention since its inception during the Civil Rights struggles of mid 20th century America. Discrimination could no longer be tolerated and the Unites States government had an obligation to encourage equality at all levels of the social infrastructure. The main type of discrimination being addressed by Affirmative Action programs was racial discrimination. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines racism as: ‘a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.’ The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination of any kind, laid the foundation for the introduction of Affirmative Action

A major controversy encompassing the country is the issue of affirmative action. Many believe that the abolition, or at least restructure, of affirmative action in the United States will benefit the nation for many logical reasons. Originally, affirmative action began as an attempt to eliminate discrimination and provide a source of opportunity; affirmative action did not begin as an attempt to support just minorities and women. In addition, affirmative action naturally creates resentment when the less qualified are preferred instead of the people actually deserve the admission or job. Another reason that has existed since the abolition of slavery is the myth that women and ?minorities? cannot compete

Affirmative action supporters make one large assumption when defending the policy. They assume that minority groups want help. This, however, may not always be the case. They fought to attain equality, not special treatment. To some of them, the acceptance of special treatment is an admittance of inferiority. Some would include me. I believe I can become successful on my own. I don’t need laws to help me get a great job. I along with many others who are against affirmative action want to be treated as equals, not as incompetent. Although discrimination is not placed in a well-distant past, affirmative action is an unneeded and drastic remedy for today’s world (Farron, Steven, 2005)