The History of Affirmative Action Research Paper

The History of Affirmative Action - Research Paper Examplen the schools, denied equal chance at acquiring good jobs and rejected from housing areas all reserved exclusively for the pale-skinned dominant culture of the west Europeans. This separation was made possible because of an ideology that believed uncontaminating people were of a higher, more refined nature than those who had not yet been cleansed of their barbarism. In many cases, minority members of society were restricted to slave or near-slave status even after the finale of the Civil War in 1865. Through a variety of tactics, the prevailing opinion of the less civilized minority people of color was perpetuated by breathing legislation and unfair practices that prevented these people from achieving the same kinds of success discovered by white people. Even after legislation now collectively referred to as the Jim bragging laws were abolished, inequality prevailed through shady or evasive business practices, finally for cing the enactment of countermeasures now known as Affirmative Action. Although controversial, this legal action was needed in order to try to equalize the opportunity for all, extending the right for all free people to reach the potential they are willing to work for. Without assentient action to help ensure equality, the balance in this country would still be heavily in favor of the ethnic majority and segregation would be much more blatant than it is today. Social evolution depends on widespread social acceptance of differences. It is a process that doesnt seem to occur of course in this country without the benefit of favorable action polices. Since its enactment, affirmative action has succeeded in balancing the opportunities available to men and women of all ethnicities. Although the majority ethnic group, the white people, may now feel they are being treated unfairly simply because they have lost their stranglehold on the economic high ground, affirmative action has been s uccessful in distributing opportunity on a more equal basis. A