Affirmative Action Violates Constitutional Rights

2154 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Supreme court case study 37 answers brown vs board of education

Affirmative Action Violates Constitutional Rights

In 2003, the United States Supreme Court will hear two affirmative action cases. Each is dealing with the actions of the admissions office of the University of Michigan. The cases, Gratz v. Bollinger and Grutter v. Bollinger, have been called "this generation's Brown v. Board of Education." (Montoya.) These cases have much hanging in their mists, "The outcome of … affirmative action cases will determine whether our society moves forward towards greater equality or backwards to resegregation [sic] and greater inequality"("New…"). Affirmative action which is, as defined by Webster's II New College Dictionary, "A policy or program that seeks to redress past discrimination by increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups, as in employment." Affirmative action not only increases opportunities for women and minorities it decreases opportunities for white men.

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

- Amendment XIV, section one

The U.S. Constitution is clear, the privileges and immunities will not be decreased, and states can not deny any person in its jurisdiction equality. Affirmative action lessens the immunities of white men; they are no longer guaranteed an "equal opportunity employer." White men who are in the jurisdiction of the United States are denied equality. This is proved by the fact that qualifications are not the top reason for whom is hired, instead the main reason white men are turned down, when ...

... middle of paper ...

...//clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/ OP/html/aa/aa02.html>

Stephanopoulos, George, and Christopher Edley, Jr. "OTHER FEDERAL POLICIES: THE FCC AND THE DEPARTMENTS OF TREASURY AND AGRICULTURE." Affirmative Action Review Report to the President. 19 July 1995. 16 Dec. 2002 <http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/aa11.html>

Stephanopoulos, George, and Christopher Edley, Jr. "Letter to the President." Affirmative Action Review Report to the President. 19 July 1995. 16 Dec. 2002 <http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/aa-lett.html>

United States. Department of Justice. "MEMORANDUM TO GENERAL COUNSELS." Washington, D.C: Office of Legal Counsel. 28 June 1995. <http://clinton2.nara.gov/WH/EOP/OP/html/aa/ap-b.html>

United States. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "The Civil Rights Act of 1964." 15 Jan. 1997 <http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/vii.html>

Show More
Related

  • Albert Einstein: One of Gladwell's Outliers?

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    Einstein’s education was unconventional for a person who was to become a success. Early on, he was failing a large number of his courses; and he transferred from a German school at age fifteen to a Swiss school, so that he could avoid compulsive military service in the German armed forces. By the age of sixteen, he officially became a school dropout. His grade school principle made the statement to his parents, “it didn’t matter what profession the boy prepared for because he wo...

    Read More

  • Arizona’s Immigration Law

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    Unite States. Department of Justice. Title Vii of the Civil Act Rights of 1964. United States, 1964.

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action in College Admissions

    1570 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and women.” However, despite its well-intentioned policies, it has been the source of much controversy over the years. Barbara Scott and Mary Ann Schwartz mention that “proponents of affirmative action argue that given that racism and discrimination are systemic problems, their solutions require institutional remedies such as those offered by affirmative action legislation” (298). Also, even though racism is no longer direct, indirect forms still exist in society and affirmative action helps direct. On the other hand, opponents to affirm...

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Affirmative Action

    3452 Words  | 7 Pages

    Nacoste, Rupert W. (1987) Affirmative Action in American Politics: Strength or Weakness? Political Behavior, Vol. 9, No. 4, 291-304.

    Read More

  • Is Affirmative Action still needed?

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Today there is considerable disagreement in the country over Affirmative Action with the American people. MSNBC reported a record low in support for Affirmative Action with 45% in support and 45% opposing (Muller, 2013). The affirmative action programs have afforded all genders and races, exempting white males, a sense of optimism and an avenue to get the opportunities they normally would not be eligible for. This advantage includes admission in colleges or hiring preferences with public and private jobs; although Affirmative Action has never required quotas the government has initiated a benefits program for the schools and companies that elect to be diversified. The advantages that are received by the minorities’ only take into account skin color, gender, disability, etc., are what is recognized as discriminatory factors. What is viewed as racism to the majority is that there ar...

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein: The General Theory of Relativity

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    RM, plc. “Albert Einstein.” Hutchinson’s Biography Database (2011): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 1 May 2014.

    Read More

  • A Biography Of William Edward Burghardt Du Bois

    1769 Words  | 4 Pages

    To the many who admired him, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was, by strong-willed dedication and intellectual perseverance, an assailant of inequality and a guardian of liberty. A herald of "Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism" (Hynes), he passed away in self-imposed isolation with his ancestors in his land of comfort, the magnificent Africa (Hynes). Branded as a "radical," he was overlooked by those who held on to the hope that his substantial offerings would be hidden in his grave beside him (Hynes). As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote:

    Read More

  • Affirmative Action and Higher Education Admissions

    1665 Words  | 4 Pages

    Signed in an executive order by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity was created to ensure that hiring and employment practices are free of racial bias. Three years later, President Lyndon Johnson presented the Civil Rights Act in 1964 prohibiting discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin (Wang & Shulruf, 2012). Later that same year, President Johnson gave a commencement speech attempting to give an ethical response to the losses both materially and mentally to the African-Americans in slavery in the United States (Chace, 2011). Within the later years of the 1960s, higher education institution administrators, in an effort to boost under-represented groups of minorities, introduced the affirmative action concept into the admissions processes (Wang & Shulruf, 2012). What has been the effect of these monumental milestones for minorities and under-repre... ...

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    Albert Einstein was the first child born to Hermann and Pauline Einstein, Jewish, middle-class Germans, on March 14, 1879 at Ulm, in Wurttemberg, Germany. Albert's sister, Maria, was born in November of 1881. They remained close throughout their lives.Einstein and sister 1 The Einstein family moved to Munich in 1880 to start their own business. Albert began his secondary schooling at Luitpold-Gymnasium. In 1894, the family business failed and the family moved to Milan, Italy. Albert stayed behind in Munich to finish his education at the Gymnasium. However, Albert hated the high school he attended and a teacher recommended that he leave, as his presence encouraged students' disrespect for teachers. So, at 15, he quit school to join his family in Italy.

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein biography

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14th, 1879 to Hermann Einstein and Pauline Einstein. For most of his live he lived in Ulm, a small town outside of Munch, Germany. At the age of 1 the Einstein family moved to Zurich, Germany. The Einstein family moved to Zurich so that Hermann, Albert’s father could work with his brother Jakob in his Manufacturing business. Albert’s family consisted of his mother and father, himself, and his younger sister Maja. Albert Einstein’s parents worried about him because he rarely spoke as a child, thus causing them to think that he had a brain development issue.

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein: A Radical Genius

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    Einstein was born at Ulm, in Württemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879. Although his parents first believed he possessed a learning disability (due to the fact that he did not speak until the age of 3), he showed an outstanding interest towards nature and retained the ability to understand complex mathematical ideas in his youth. At this time, his family moved to Munich, Bavaria and opened a small shop that made electric machinery. By the age of 12, he successfully taught himself Euclidean geometry.

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein Essay

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, to Hermann and Pauline Einstein, in Ulm, Württemberg, Germany (“Albert Einstein”). Despite being Jewish, Einstein, his parents, and his sister Maja did not observe Jewish practices, and Albert actually attended a Catholic elementary school (“Albert Einstein”). Einstein soon developed a strong love of math and science, even teaching himself Euclidean geometry at the young age of twelve (“Albert Einstein”). In his teenage years, he attended Luitpold Gymnasium, where he frequently clashed with authorities and resented the school regimen, even writing in his later years, “that the spirit of learning and creative thought were lost in strict rote learning” (“Albert Einstein”). Around this time, he wrote his first scientific paper, “The Investigation of the State of Aether in Magnetic Fields” (“Albert Einstein”). In 1895, he dropped out of high school in order to reunite with his family, which had since then relocated to Pavia and left him behind to finish his education (“Albert Einstein”).

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein And The Theory Of Special Relativity

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    Albert Einstein was born on March 14th, 1879, in Wurttemburg, Germany. He frequently moved from town to town with his family throughout his young life, and always showed an interest in science. As an adult he attended Swiss Federal Polytechnic School and earned his degree as a teacher of physics and mathematics. He later obtained his doctorate’s degree in

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein

    1831 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the smartest people ever to live, Albert Einstein, changed our society's development forever with his views, theories, and developments. Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany on March 14, 1879. He was the only son of Hermann and Pauline Kech Einstein. He spent his youth in Munich, where his family owned a small electrical equipment plant. He did not talk until the age of three and by the age of nine, was still not fluent in his native language. (Discovering World History) His parents were actually concerned the he might be somewhat mentally retarded.

    Read More

  • Albert Einstein Essay

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1894, Einstein’s family relocated to Milan, Italy, due to force, but he decided to stay in Munich in order to complete his schoolwork (“Albert Einstein”). At the right age, Einstein met up with his ...

    Read More

More about Affirmative Action Violates Constitutional Rights

Open Document