The Affects of Affirmative Action on Social Inequality
The Affects of Affirmative Action on Social Inequality
Noam Hassid
Social Inequality in America
Professor Todman
06/12/08
Affirmative action was created to help level the playing field for disadvantaged minorities. It was set in place by people that understand that because of inequality of opportunity, some minorities need a helping hand to get to a position that others in the society, who are not part of a minority group, don’t have to fight for.
In its tumultuous 45-year history, affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The term "affirmative action" was first introduced by President Kennedy in 1961 as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees. It was developed and enforced for the first time by President Johnson. "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights," Johnson asserted. "We seek… not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result." (Brunner) “Affirmative action” means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy. (Fullinwider) The development, defense, and contestation of preferential affirmative action have proceeded along two paths. One has been legal and administrative as courts, legislatures, and executive departments of government have made and applied rules requiring affirmative action. The other has been the path of public debate, where the practice of preferential treatment has spawned a vast literature, pro and con. Often enough, the two paths have failed to make adequate contact, with the public quarrels not always very securely anchored in any
Noam Hassid
Social Inequality in America
Professor Todman
06/12/08
Affirmative action was created to help level the playing field for disadvantaged minorities. It was set in place by people that understand that because of inequality of opportunity, some minorities need a helping hand to get to a position that others in the society, who are not part of a minority group, don’t have to fight for.
In its tumultuous 45-year history, affirmative action has been both praised and pilloried as an answer to racial inequality. The term "affirmative action" was first introduced by President Kennedy in 1961 as a method of redressing discrimination that had persisted in spite of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees. It was developed and enforced for the first time by President Johnson. "This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights," Johnson asserted. "We seek… not just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result." (Brunner) “Affirmative action” means positive steps taken to increase the representation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they have been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selection—selection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity—affirmative action generates intense controversy. (Fullinwider) The development, defense, and contestation of preferential affirmative action have proceeded along two paths. One has been legal and administrative as courts, legislatures, and executive departments of government have made and applied rules requiring affirmative action. The other has been the path of public debate, where the practice of preferential treatment has spawned a vast literature, pro and con. Often enough, the two paths have failed to make adequate contact, with the public quarrels not always very securely anchored in any
Bibliography: Brunner, Borgna. A History and Timeline of Affirmative Action. 2007. 12 June 2008 <http://www.infoplease.com/spot/affirmative1.html>. Fernandez, Ricardo R. Exclusion and Inclusion: The impact of Affirmative Action. August 1997. 15 June 2008 <http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0897/ijse/ferndz.htm>. Fullinwider, Robert. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 28 December 2001. 12 June 2008 <http://www.science.uva.nl/~seop/entries/affirmative-action/>. Gewirtz, Paul. The Affirmative Action Debate. 2 August 1995. 15 June 2008 <http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/1QQ.HTM>. Maxwell, Bill. A good argument for affirmative action. 2006. 12 June 2008 <http://www.sptimes.com/News/120300/Columns/A_good_argument_for_a.shtml>. Rights, Leadership Conference on Civil. Why You Should Care about Affirmative Action. 2008. 15 June 2008 <http://www.civilrights.org/issues/affirmative/care.html>.