Essay about The Reality of Affirmative Action - 2443 Words

In the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all citizens under the law. When one citizen is treated unfairly, an injustice has been committed against all people. It is the duty of Americans to make sure such injustices are eliminated. Affirmative Action is one such program whose purpose is to make sure that equal citizens are treated equally under the law. In today’s society it is imperative that all people regardless of race or gender are given equal opportunity in the admissions and job applications processes. Affirmative Action was designed to create this equality. The history of Affirmative Action ultimately began two hundred years ago with the founding of our nation. The Constitution, which is the basis of all†¦show more content†¦However, this act mistakenly led Americans to the assumption that the problem of racism would be solved. It soon became evident that anyone who is educated to perform a task, can do so. Finally the playing field appeared to be level. Unfortunately, however, everyone was not willing to play fairly or equally. Hence, the necessity to have policies such as Affirmative Action arose. The phrase â€Å"Affirmative Action† was first used as a term to describe racial discrimination in Executive Order No. 10,925 issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. Kennedy issued this order in hopes that federal contractors would take affirmative action and ensure that job applicants and employees were treated â€Å"without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin â€Å" (Pasour, 1989). Yet, few people actually knew what the order stated and what exactly its requirements were. It soon became apparent that this Order was actually a concept. According to a recent review made by the White House to President Clinton, Congress defines Affirmative Action as, â€Å"any effort taken to expand opportunity for women or racial, ethnic and national origin minorities by using membership in those groups that have been subject to discrimination as a consideration† (Congress, 1995). The Affirmative Action policy was originally designed to give equal opportunity b ased upon ability alone and to eliminate race and or gender as a deciding factor during admission to a school orShow MoreRelatedPerception Or Reality : Has The Purpose Of Affirmative Action Been Served?2198 Words   |  9 PagesPerception or Reality: Has the Purpose of Affirmative Action Been Served? Introduction: Statement of Problem Perception is how one views the world around them. How people view the world determines their perception on topics that affect everyday life? The perception of affirmative action, and the underline reality on the social political scale differ depending on where and when this topic is discussed, or what articles are read on this topic. Gibelman, M (2000) in her article review Affirmative ActionRead MoreAffirmative Doublethink919 Words   |  4 Pageswhile genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies – all this is indispensably necessary† (Orwell, 214). Essentially, the term mean to hold and believe two contradictory ideas/opinions. These ideas and opinions can contradict, logically, morally, and factuallyRead MoreSummary : Rough Draft And Affirmative Action Program1575 Words   |  7 PagesJarron Jones 4-11-15 Moral Problems Rough Draft Affirmative Action In 2003, the Supreme Court issued its ruling on a case challenging the University of Michigan’s undergraduate affirmative action program, ultimately declaring the scheme unconstitutional. The admission scheme was based generally on a 150 point scale system in which the Office of Admission assigned points based on a number of factors, including high school grades, standardized test scores, high school quality, alumni strength, andRead MoreAffirmative Action Is The Most Important Modern Anti Discrimination1578 Words   |  7 PagesColumbia in the United States of America once said that â€Å"affirmative action is the most important modern anti-discrimination technique ever instituted in the United States. It is the one tool that has had a demonstrable effect on discrimination. No one who knows anything about the subject would say it hasn t worked. It has certainly done something, or else it wouldn t have provoked so much opposition†. This means that affirmative act ion is a modern anti-discrimination technique that has beenRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action855 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative Action Is It Really A-Firm-Action? What is affirmative action? This has been a very interesting question throughout the past thirty years. Many people would like to answer it with simply the name given to programs that try to correct past and ongoing discriminations against women, racial minorities, and others in the work force and in education. Affirmative action was created out of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It actually went into effect because of an executiveRead MoreEssay on Affirmative Action and Racial Equality 1467 Words   |  6 Pages Affirmative Action and Racial Equality (1) Issue Identification Many individuals do not know the meaning of the term â€Å"affirmative action.† In order to clearly understand the issue, one must first know the necessary terms associated with it. Affirmative action is a term given to an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination (i.e. African Americans, Asians, etc.). For example, certain scholarships for African Americans can be regarded as affirmative action opportunitiesRead MoreAffirmative Action : How It Impacted The American Society Essay1628 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract There are many supporters and opponents of Affirmative Action. The focus of Affirmative action is meant to be an attempt at equality throughout society. Every sector in America would be equal and unprejudiced. On the other hand, adopting affirmative action would force many employers to replace hard-working employees with those possibly less qualified simply due to their gender or ethnicity. Throughout history, people have been categorized into different groups. These groupings were basedRead More Affirmative Action Essay561 Words   |  3 Pages 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 conti nues the judgement of minorities by race; it causes reverseRead MoreAffirmative Action1075 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative Action Sharon Huntington University of Phoenix MGT 434 Teresa Knox September 13, 2010 Affirmative Action According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, â€Å"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† (Fullinwider, 2009). The following paragraphs will discuss whatRead MoreArgument Against Affirmative Action Policies Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesGroups that are in refutation of Affirmative Action professor Gary Becker, who states â€Å"Affirmative Action policies lowers standards of account ability need to push employees or student to perform better.† (Becker) Becker’s meaning behind this argument is that students or employees who are affecting by affirmative action tend to try harder than they should know that they are going to be accepted just because of Affirmative Action policies. Becker say this type of polices eventually hurts more than