Affirmative Action

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how affirmative action was started to end racial discrimination and allow for a more universal application of the Constitution. It examines the discrimination faced by women, blacks and other ethnic minorities over the years and the effect of acts such as the Civil Rights act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These acts extended the rights granted in the Constitution to women and blacks but alone did not end discrimination and many companies and individuals still engaged in these practices, only not as openly as in the past. Eventually it was made law with government quotas for minorities in certain jobs. This paper assesses whether affirmative action has been successful by examining various statistics.

From the Paper:

"The Federal Affirmative Action program began in World War Ii with an Executive order baring discrimination in the Federal government and those involved in the war effort (Stephan, 1995). President Franklin Roosevelt signed this in response to production staffing shortages caused by the war. It was also in order to prevent a planned march on Washington by the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. These measures were unenforceable, understaffed and underfunded. It was a token reaction to the problem had no real effect. It looked like and effort on paper, but one the surface, only gave lip service to the group involved to prevent a situation."

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