Introduction
Affirmative Action began in 1965 when President Johnson signed the Executive Order 11246 in to law. The Executive Order prevents federal contractors from discriminating against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The phrase “affirmative action” was first coined, when federal contractors were required to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants were not discriminated against in anyway. When affirmative action was created, it only included minorities. In 1967, Johnson decided to expand the program to include women because women were discriminated against much like minorities. In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, affirmative action was a method used to stop discrimination, however in today’s world it has become reverse discrimination in many cases. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute to society. The color of one’s skin does not determine how capable he or she is at achieving greatness. This paper will analyze Affirmative Action and determine its appropriateness in today’s society.
Literature Review
As stated above, affirmative action promotes reverse discrimination. Basically reverse discrimination is the condition under which there is preferential treatment of one group (minorities and women) over another group, rather than equal opportunity. Giving the job positions to less qualified candidates is favoritism; this harms those who should be obtaining the job position. A dedicated person who worked hard his or her whole life could lose a position to a minority that slipped into the position undeservingly. The whole purpose of affirmative action was to eliminate favoritism; instead it shifts favoritism to the other side. Favoritism of this sort does nothing but imply that minorities need special treatment to succeed in life. Highly merited minorities (past professors) have told me personally that minorities do not need special treatment; they need equal treatment. They (past professors) told me that affirmative action implies that all minorities are inferior to whites and that minorities need to be treated with special care just to have a chance to become successful. The affirmative action program also undermines their (past professors) achievements of minorities by implying that their positions were handed to them rather than being earned. It seems that they also disagree with...
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...reach the ideas set forth by Martin Luther King Jr. King hated for his children to be judged for the color of their skin instead of their character. How would he see affirmative action in 2004? I believe that he would say affirmative action does not solve discrimination problems in the workplace; it just hinders the problems. Everything Martin Luther King Jr. worked for and fought for is being destroyed by affirmative action.
Summary
As stated earlier, affirmative action was put into use during the 1960’s. The Civil Rights movement of 1964 emphasized the program. During that era, discrimination among minorities and women was extremely high and there were many barriers. The main goal of affirmative action was to give minorities and women an equal opportunity at employment. This was understandable in the 60’s and 70’s, but not today. Management’s main concern is the shareholders. You cannot please the shareholders if your company is not performing at its potential, the most qualified person must be hired regardless of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. This should please everyone because it is what minorities’ want and what Corporate America deserves: equal treatment.
Affirmative Action is the policies that have been introduced to provide equal opportunities to people who have been historically excluded. The action is implemented by providing equal access to education, salary, employment and respect to the group such as women and minorities. The policies were introduced in 1960’s during the civil rights movement in the belief of providing equal rights to the group that has been ruled out by the society. In 1961 President Kennedy was the first to use the term “Affirmative Action” to make sure that all employees are treated in the same manner without discriminating them with their race, color, and national origin. The main reason to establish affirmative action is to increase the employment opportunities and
Affirmative action started in the 1960’s as a way to end discrimination against African American and later all minorities - including women. By migrating people of all color into workplaces and colleges/universities seemed to be the suitable solution to diversify our nation. Although blacks had been freed for a 100 years, they continually struggled with segregation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned the segregation of all sort in the United States, however that was not enough. Congress mandated the affirmative action program as a plan of desegregation. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy made reference to this plan, but it was not until September 1965 that it was enforced by President Lyndon Johnson. The program affected federal jobs, to include federal contracting company, and universities. In order to receive federal funding, each entity had to hire and enroll minorities. Affirmative action was a good jump start to get our nation to where it is today. However, affirmative action should not be continued because it is a form of discrimination, it is more harmful than helpful, and it supplements race or gender for one’s qualification.
The roots of affirmative action may be traced back to the early 1960’s, during the Civil Rights Movement. It was in 1961 that President John F. Kennedy issued an Executive Order that first introduced affirmative action. This order included an establishment that government contractors “take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated fairly during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” (University of California Irvine) Over the years, there have been many adjustments to affirmative action, but they all reiterated the same general idea. This idea is that there would be equal opportunity for all qualified persons, and to take positive actions in order to ensure there would be equal opportunity for all. (University of California Irvine) Affirmative action has been successful, it has increased the number of recruiting and screening practices by employers, raised employers’ inclination to hire denounced applicants, increased the number of minority or female applicants and employees, and it increased the likelihood that employers will provide training and evaluate the...
Affirmative action must exist at least as symbolism of this country's commitment to civil rights. The thick blood of prejudice will still continue to run through the veins of U.S. society, despite upbeat talk about the increasingly diversified work force. Government-mandated hiring preferences prod companies into integrating their work force, and in the past twenty-five years of
The history of affirmative action has its roots in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and stems from the United States Supreme case of Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. In 1969, the department of Labor exposed widespread racial discrimination of the Construction Department so President Nixon decided to incorporate a system of "goals and timetables" that provided guidelines for companies to follow and comply with affirmative action regulations. Which brings us to today
Affirmative action is an attempt by the United States to amend a long history of racial discrimination and injustice. Our school textbook defines affirmative action as “a program established that attempts to improve the chances of minority applicants for educational or employment purposes, although they may have the same qualifications, by giving them leverage so that they can attain a level that is equal to caucasian applicants” (Berman 522). There are people that support and oppose this issue. Opponents of affirmative action have many reasons for opposing this issue, one of them being that the battle for equal rights is over, and that this advantage made for people of color discriminates against people that are not of color. The people that defend affirmative action argue this advantage is needed because of how badly discriminated the people of color once were. Because of the discrimination that once was these people claim that they are at a disadvantage, and always have been, therefore equality of opportunity is needed. It is also said that affirmative action is used to encourage diversity and integration. This paper will discuss the history of affirmative action, how it is implemented in society today, and evaluate the arguments that it presents.
When people talk about the civil rights movement, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous speech “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King. His dream in short was to have equality among human beings. For the past thirty years, this country has been revolutionizing humanitarianism because there is greater concern for human welfare than one hundred years ago. The revolution began during the 1960’s, and during that era this country was drastically involved in changing the civil rights of minority groups. From this concern, a program called affirmative action evolved. Like other civil right movements, the affirmative action movement was implemented to promote equality.
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 programs. In 1965, Lyndon Johnson signed an executive order requiring government contractors to diversify its staff by hiring more members of the minorities. President Nixon implemented a system in which the government could monitor the progress being made by businesses in hiring minorities. Eventually, high level educational institutions would also see the need for Affirmative Action and the benefits of a diverse student body. Affirmative Action was designed to overcome the issue of discrimination in education and the workplace by giving less fortunate members of the minority an opportunity to level the playing field and achieve success similar to that of their counterparts in the majority. Affirmative Action programs, which encourage the inclusion of minorities in education and at all levels in the workplace, are vital in the effort to eradicate discrimination and provide equal opportunity.
For most people, life has a seemingly generic series of events. From birth to death, life is often thought to be a string of standard moments, laden together in a string of monotony. For others, on the other hand, each day can be an adventure. The transition from high school to college is one such occasion where one could easily become lost in the sameness of those around them. Yet for those who can see the beauty in the differences and respect the similarities between the two; high school and college can easily be exceptional learning experiences in their own right.
All of these things can affect the grandparents feelings, the children 's feelings, the grandparents relationship with their adult children, the relationship with the grandchildren, the health, finances and social isolation. There are many benefits as well the grandparents have a second chance at parenting, closer relationship with their grandchildren, the chance to make a difference in a childs life, having a greater purpose in living, it can increase your tolerance for the younger generation and it can help keep grandparents young and active. Children raised by grandparents may express feelings of abandonment, even though they are grateful to their grandparents for taking care of them (Saltzman & Pakan, 1996). I believe as an educator schools can contribute significantly with helping grandparents cope with stresses of parenting. School staff may need to learn to recognize and accept strong feelings experienced with each member of the family. It can sometimes be a very delicate and stressful situation when dealing with situations like this. As an educator you have to be able to show support with the family and work together with any counseling that might be
Although the roots of affirmative action in the United States date back to the nineteenth century, more recent affirmative action programs were initiated under the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. To help rectify the historical inequalities suffered by women and minorities, John F. Kennedy passed Executive Order 10925 and Executive Order 11246 which required government contractors to take “affirmative action” in the hiring of more minorities (African Americans and women) and ending workplace discrimination, according to historian Stephen Cahn. A decade later, the Nixon presidency piggybacked JFK’s footsteps and mandated all government contractors to create a printed affirmative action plan within the workplace. Many companies now emplo...
The focus of this paper is on the history of affirmative action and its relevance to our society. Affirmative action focuses on the importance of equality and equal opportunity among all people in terms of education and employment. In coordination with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunities Act of 1972, the affirmative action policy was submitted by federal agencies. Is it not true that ethnic minorities do not have the same opportunities in life as whites, and that women should be entitled to the same opportunities as men? This act is only a means to help the less advantaged members of our society. In this case the less advantage would be those of color and women (www.infoplease.com).
Obviously, there is a major difference in the level of academic responsibilities between high school and college. In terms of expectations and responsibilities placed upon you in high school, they are more of a guideline and carefree, whereas college it is more complex and is individually based. What I mean by this is that in high school you can count on parents and your teacher in order to guide you in setting priorities and remind you of your responsibilities. It was part of your parents’ and teachers’ responsibility to make sure that you succeed in high school. Students have fewer duties to worry about, and fewer requirements where they could depend on others for help. In class, you are usually told by the teacher about what you need to study and how you are doing with your grades and attendance. Furthermore, in high school, many of the classes are assigned to you, and you are supplied with many of the materials and books. It’s an entirely different story once you enter college. In college, you have to set your own priorities and have much more responsibilities to carry out. Students ar...
Another area that high school and college contrast in is my attentiveness during classes. In high school, the instructors were strict about different classroom policies, mainly the cell phone one. It was prohibited for students to have phones in class due to all the distractions it may cause. I would text in class and drift from the lesson. In College, even though it’s more laid back it requires more attentiveness. I try not to text from time to time. I understand now that this may take part in the down fall of my grades. Eventually, being more attentive during class, and remaining consist with the “study time” days will help improve my grades for the most part.
People spend most of their life getting an education. An education starts with going to elementary school, junior high, high school, and ending with college. Most high school graduates attend college. College is important because it offers more knowledge than high school has to offer. The most important objective in high school and college is to learn. A major transition in a person’s life is going from high school to college. The differences between high schools and colleges show how much time is needed in order to succeed. High school is to prepare people for college, and college is to prepare people for the real world. Some people are able to make the change fast, while others struggle to adapt with college life. High school and college may seem to be very different, but they hold many similarities people do not know about.