Affirmative Action Essay

Martin Luther world power, Jr. once s helper, In nonwithstandingice anyw here is a nemesis to conscionableice foreverywhere. This state handst will always ring true peculiarly on the subject of equal opportunity when it comes to employment and education here in the United States. Its no secret that equivalence has been something the States has always lacked, tho at the comparable time has always been something the States sas welld for. In fact it rear end be easily inferred that equality among all men has been something the States has stride for since it gained independence from the British in 1776. Our open fathers were the prototypal to scram this initial thought, that macrocosm best portrayed in the declaration of independence, which states We hold these truths to be self-evident, that solely men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain nontransferable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.(qtd. I n declaration of independence)To me this means our inst whollyation fathers believed that every man from birth has the god given pay to a life of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, except somewhere during Americas journey as a country it forgot its true creed and became its avow tyrant preventing people from reaching their full potential while as well denying its own citizens liberty and a pursuit to happiness. And although achieving equality in this country has been nothing short of easy with countless set backs and insincere reports, equality among solely its citizens is quiesce something America does strides for, and nothing brings you direct equality quit kindred Affirmative pull through does.If you consider favorable effect for its intentional purposes than Affirmative Action is very vindicatory, its purpose being to pair the education and economic gap between minorities and causations. Although it is not a ideal method to achieving equality in this country, it is essential to accept it for why its been put into place and that it is every last(predicate) helping of a process. Of course favourable exploit is far from perfect and has a fair deal of problems, like promoting reverse favouritism while backing up negative stereotypes. I researched all of these aspects while pondering the question is favourable process dumb needed in todays society? In this write up I will be condoneing what approving put through is. The History buns approbatory swear out like how it all unfolded, who made it, and the register as to why it is in effect now. I will also bring up some pros and cons of approving legal exploit, how the United States could wagerer approving fulfill for the hereafter and finally a conclusion, which is my opinion on the topic. much(prenominal)over what exactly is Affrimative military reach? Born of the civil rights movement three decades ago, affirmative follow out calls for minorities and women to be giv en special consideration in employment and education adoption decisions. Universities with affirmative action policies generally set goals to increase diversity. Affirmative action decisions are generally not supposed to be based on quotas, nor are they supposed to give any preference to unqualified orduredidates. And by no means is affirmative action supposed to harm anyone through reverse discrimination.The purpose was to create equal opportunity for the people who had been inequitablely hardened in the past. It was set out to correct this wrong, and make it right. But at the same time too often is Affrimative action is looked upon as a solution for a nation once ill with, and now cured of, the evil disease of racial discrimination. Some would guess Affirmative action is, and should be seen as, a temporary, partial, and perhaps even flaw cure for past and continuing discrimination. But all in all affirmative action is defined as The positive go acceptn to increase the re presentation of women and minorities in areas of employment, education, and business from which they down been historically excluded. When those steps involve preferential selectionselection on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity (Fullinwider) Of course affirmative action has a very deep history to it, and to why it was put into place. Now that you understand the purpose for which it was made, let me explain who made it and why affirmative action was created.The history of Affirmative action, the first base step in affirmative action was the creation of it. President can F. Kennedy first introduced it in 1961. The following is in sections to show the timeline of affirmative action in the begging stages of its creation* March 6, 1961 Executive sound out 10925 makes the first reference to affirmative action (Timeline)President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order 10925, which creates the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandates that projects financed with feder al money take affirmative action to ensure that hiring and employment practices are liberal of racial bias.* July 2, 1964 Civil Rights Act signed by President Lyndon Johnson The closely sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. (Timeline)* June 4, 1965 Speech defining creation of affirmative action In an eloquent speech to the graduating class at Howard University, President Johnson frames the concept underlying affirmative action, asserting that civil rights laws exclusively are not enough to remedy discrimination You do not wipe away the scars of centuries by saying now, you are free to go where you want, do as you desire, and choose the nothingnessers you please. You do not take a man who for old age has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the jump line of a race, saying, you are free to compete with all the others, and nonetheless justly believe you have been completely fair . . . This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom however opportunitynot just legal loveliness but human abilitynot just equality as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result. (Timeline)* Sept. 24,1965 Executive Order 11246 enforces affirmative action for the first time (Timeline) Issued by President Johnson, the executive ramble requires giving medication contractors to take affirmative action toward prospective nonage employees in all aspects of hiring and employment.The rest of the affirmative actions timeline from here on out is mainly just imperious royal court cases, which can help define what exactly it can do and what exactly it cant do.* In the 1978 Supreme Court case University of California vs. Bakke, a white male named every last(predicate)an Bakke claimed reverse discrimination because he was rejected twice from medical school while less-qualified minority scholarly persons were admitted to fill a quota that required 18 out of every c places be filled with minorities. The Supreme Court control against inflexible quota systems, but did not outlaw affirmative action as a whole.(Timeline) virtually of the lawsuits were against Universities since many universities also adopted affirmative action programs in the 1970s. These programs were aimed at increasing obtuse enrollment and the takings of black faculty. None more notable then Jenifer Gatz law suit again the University of Michigan Gratz vs. Bollinger and Grutter vs. Bollinger. It ruled that affirmative action fulfills a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that flow from a diverse student body. The purpose of affirmative action policy shifted from redressing injustice to promoting values of diversity.But even after all these deciding cases on affirmative action its still a heated matter of dispute. After much legislation and many Supreme Court decis ions, affirmative action continues to be controversial (Legal History, Ongoing Debates section, para. 1).These controversies lead to questions, which can only be answered by understanding why affirmative action was put into effect in the first place. It is important to regard as affirmative action is still a work in upgrade to achieve something much bigger than any one individual. People slant to forget that and the history to why affirmative action was put into place.It cannot be denied that Americas history is full of mistreatment of minority individuals. Women did not have a chance to vote for nearly a century and half after the birth of the country. African Americans were captured and forced into thralldom, Although the Thirteenth Amendment ended charge slavery in the United States in 1865, African Americans were not treated equal to whites in the eyes of the law for nearly another century, they were considered only one third of citizen.So with the two hundred years of sla very coming to an abrupt end a new regime or prejudices was to come into effect. Of course even after the end of slavery African Americans were consistently denied employment, housing, and education. In the south discrimination was a daily mo supported by Jim Crow laws.(Affirmative action) Unjust social statues and norms were passed in the 1800s that turn over separate, inferior, overt facilities, schools, waiting rooms, railways cars, and restrooms for African Americans through out the country. This has caused a half mask effect on our society that still seen today.Those outrageous social norms were exercise in America until late in the civil rights movement when hot seat JFK finally acknowledged the struggle for equality and the idea of Affirmative Action was born. After President Kennedys assignation, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It tabu discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and sex in the areas of employment, public facil ities, and government programs. The idea of equality in America, that every man is created every bit was slowly and surly becoming more realistic, due largely to Martin Luther queen regnants efforts. here are Dr. tycoons own words on the idea of Affirmative action from his 1963 book why cant we wait King statesAmong the many vital caprioles to be done, the nation must not only radically readjust its attitude toward the Negro in the compelling present, but must incorporate in its planning some compensatory consideration for the handicaps he has inherited from the past. It is impossible to create a formula for the future which does not take into account that our society has been doing something special against the Negro for hundreds of years. How then can he be absorbed into the mainstream of American life if we do not do something special for him now, in order to balance the equation and dress him to compete on a just and equal basis? Martin Luther King J.R (Wise)In his 1967 bo ok, Where Do We Go From Here Chaos or society? King argued A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis.(wise) Continuingfor Two centuries the Negro was enslaved and robbed of any wages potential accrued wealth which would have been the legacy of his descendants. All of Americas wealth could not adequately compensate its Negroes for his centuries of developing and humiliation. It is an economic fact that a program such as I propose would certainly cost far less than any computation of two centuries of unpaid wages plus accumulated interest. In any case, I do not intend that this program of economic aid should apply only to the Negro it should benefit the disadvantaged of all races.- Martin Luther King J.R (Wise)It is clear that these are some of the reasons why Martin Luther King J.R and others thought affirmative action should be and eventually was put int o effect. A large part as to why affirmative action is in effect is so Compensation can be made to those who are at a disadvantage due to past racial biases and predjedism.You should now have a better idea as to what exactly affirmative action is, what its intentions are, the history behind who made it and the deeper history as to why it is still in effect and why it was originally put into effect. Affirmative action is however a major controversy in the United States, ever since its beginning, the concept of affirmative action raised difficult questions. many an(prenominal) civil rights activists see affirmative action as a obligatory step in achieving equality for groups that had faced discrimination in the past. However, critics of affirmative action argued that individuals should be treated on their own merits without regard to color, national origin, or sex.(Affirmative Action)The Benefits of Affirmative Action The one benefit of affirmative action is to correct past discrimi nations such as the mistreatment of women and slavery. This remedial justification of affirmative action recognizes that wrongs have been committed in the past and acknowledges a object lesson obligation to set things right (Affirmative Action Pros and Cons, The Origins Of, Legal Treatment Of, semipolitical and Social Debates, The Future, Pros and Cons section, para. 1).It is important for injustices to be redressed. Slavery and institutionalized racism have not been redressed yet in America and around the world. In order for justice to be served, it is necessary for the main losers of racism in America (African Americans) to be compensated for their loses through affirmative action. (Affirmative Action) And affirmative action does just that, not in the sense of giving physical money, but through opportunities in education and in life. The following are the benefits affirmative action providesAffirmative action has provided many opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds and income levels who ordinarily would not be considered for admission to colleges and universities. This means that the pool of talent coming out of the high education system is larger and better able to contribute as productive members of the workforce. Affirmative action has had a profound effect on employment hiring and promoting practices. Historically, close to 90% of all jobs are filled without being advertised, with the majority of positions going to friends, relatives, or acquaintances of company employees.(Wise) This is often the case with a lot of jobs. Unfortunately it can boil down to whom one knows not what they know. The result of this practice is that employers often end up with employees who are not the best mortal for the job if it were properly advertised.Affirmative action has back up many companies to engage in employment practices that set minimum standards of job definition, recruiting, outreach, and evaluation that result in choosing the right person for the job. Finding the right person for the job or the promotion is critical in allow business efficiently utilize the workforce and allow each person to reach his or her full potential.Diversity in itself is suitable, it has been since the birth of this country, but it wont always occur if unexpended to chance. But when affirmative action is working like its initial purpose was intended too miraculous things can happen, and there are good facts to back that up. surrounded by 1981 and 2001, the total number of degrees awarded to Native Americans rose by 151.9% because of affirmative action policies. (Patterns) Also, from 1982 to 1995, there has been an increase in the percentage of black managers from 5 to 7 percent. Hispanics have shown a 3 percent increase from 5 percent in 1982.(Patterns) Affirmative Action has been successful in providing minorities with opportunities.At the same time a recent study has shown a person with a white sounding name has a 50% more metamorphose of getting a call back from a interview than those with black sounding name even when qualifications are indistinguishable. (Tim Wise) Again equality is desirable but it wont always occur if left to chance.Eliminating affirmative action can lead to the re-segregation of higher education. When affirmative action was prohibit at the University of Texas in 1995, the number of black students at the UT fairness School dropped from 65 in 1996 to 11 in 1997 and Latino student enrollments have been cut in half since the decision. (Patterns) this isnt necessarily a pro, but interesting enough. With affirmative action being banned in Texas the number of white students also dramatically increased while the number of Asians skyrocketed. I guess the best-qualified applicants where accepted.Here is a statistics that shows why affirmative action is still needed. For every dollar earned by men, women earn 74 cents, African American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 57 cents. (Patterns) This unjust statistics will continue with out the help of something like affirmative action. It is the verity inequalities like this that suggest maybe affirmative action should be left alone till equality is fully reached or a better solution is thought of.