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. Where this answer may be a good textbook style response, not all people agree with it. Affirmative action was created out of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It actually went into effect out of an Executive order that was delivered by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. He wanted to do more than what the non-discrimination laws of the time were trying to accomplish. He also wanted to see minorities and women get a better chance at advancement in their current jobs. President Nixon, whom also implemented the same Executive order, kept affirmative action alive. President Ford helped to update affirmative action by adding the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974. Years later President Carter created an office to handle affirmative action cases that dealt with the contract aspects of the original Affirmative Action plan, and called it the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. There were three prime aspects of affirmative action that fell into place. The first was affirmative action in employment. The second area is affirmative action dealing with contracts. The third area of affirmative action deals with the area of education. When we look at the affirmative action plans of employment, this is one area that most all of us have came into contact at some point in our lives. When you and I go to apply for a job with a company, we feel that if we are the best qualified for the position that we should receive it. This is the way that most normal people would feel. With Affirmative Action, this idea of the best-qualified person for the job is not a reality. Not all companie...
