A History of Affirmative Action

A History of Affirmative Action

Abstract

Although discrimination has existed for hundreds of years, non-discrimination laws and policies span more than 130 years. The federal Government stepped out first. The Ramspeck Act of 1940 was the first major piece of legislation to outlaw discrimination in the federal service based on race, creed, or color and several subsequent Executive Orders reaffirmed a policy of non-discrimination in government employment. It wasn’t until the 1960s that further legislation was enacted.

I want to share the history of affirmative action and notable events along the way. A recurring theme throughout most of the research material revealed that until the badge of whiteness is somehow extracted from the context of superiority there will always be divisiveness in our great nation. In some instances, affirmative action is portrayed as merely another band aid fix for the various Acts and Executive Orders that were remiss in one area or another.

My opinion is not one of a strong position. While I do believe that affirmative action has created opportunities for those in protected classes, I’m not sure that it achieves the ultimate objective of true equality and elimination of the class divisions that all of the many Acts and Executive Orders attempted.

I. Introduction

Affirmative Action originates in old English law. It is based on the concept of equity and provides for legal administration of the law by situation and not merely by a set of rigid laws that leave no room for situational application. Affirmative Action includes all positive steps taken to increase the representation of various groups in many races that historically have been excluded them, over five decades.

Affirmative Action arouses intense emotions on both sides of the debate. Proponents of Affirmative Action see it as a way to remedy injustices in American society.

II. Colonial Era

A. White Supremacy

In the earliest of the Colonial Era, Africans brought to the United States were not recognized as slaves. Their status was regarded more as indentured servitude which, closely resembled that of the poor European citizens. But, a differential was rapidly being established. Whites had never been enslaved and according to Virginia statutory of 1661, only Africans and Indians could be enslaved (Rubio, 2001).

Interestingly, race, as a social division, had not been established during the early days of America but labor conflicts in Virginia resulted in the establishment and use of white, Negro and Indian as division among the people residing in the United States. Differences in status evolved and the white race was created. Most notably of the distinction, Frederic Douglas is quoted , “There are 72 crimes