The pursuit of fairness : a history of affirmative action

Type
Book
Authors
ISBN 10
0195182456 
ISBN 13
9780195182453 
DDC
331.13 
Category
American Law  [ Browse Items ]
Publication Year
2004 
Pages
xiv, 320 pages 
Subject
Slavery and Civil Rights 
Abstract
"Affirmative action strikes at the heart of deeply held beliefs about employment and education, about the concepts of justice and fairness, and about the troubled history of race relations in America. Published on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, this is the only book available that gives readers a balanced, non-polemical, and lucid account of this highly contentious issue. Beginning with the roots of affirmative action, Anderson describes African-American demands for employment in the defense industry--spearheaded by A. Philip Randolph's threatened March on Washington in July 1941--and the desegregation of the armed forces after World War II. He investigates President Kennedy's historic 1961 executive order that introduced the term "affirmative action" during the early years of the civil rights movement and he examines President Johnson's attempts to gain equal opportunities for African Americans. He describes President Nixon's expansion of affirmative action with the Philadelphia Plan--which the Supreme Court upheld--along with President Carter's introduction of "set asides" for minority businesses and the Bakke ruling which allowed the use of race as one factor in college admissions. By the early 1980s many citizens were becoming alarmed by affirmative action, and that feeling was exemplified by the Reagan administration's backlash, which resulted in the demise and revision of affirmative action during the Clinton years. He concludes with a look at the University of Michigan cases of 2003, the current status of the policy, and its impact. Throughout, the author weighs each side of every issue--often finding merit in both arguments--resulting in an eminently fair account of one of America's most heated debates." - Voila 
Description
Content:
Genesis of affirmative action -- Civil rights struggle and the rise of affirmative action -- Zenith of affirmative action -- Backlash -- Demise of affirmative action in the age of diversity -- Conclusion : the pursuit of fairness. 
Biblio Notes
Includes bibliographical references (pages 304-312) and index.  
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