This paper is going to support my position of affirmative action. I was not sure about my opinion of affirmative action until I researched the topic in depth. My evidence will support my idea that affirmative action is necessary because it follows the evolution of civil right s in the United States.
I believe that affirmative action is necessary when a qualified person loses an opportunity to advance socially, politically or economically due to race, gender, or socioeconomic status. For the purpose of the position paper I would like to state my definition of affirmative action so that it is clear what I am defending. Affirmative action is a policy that corrects the effects of discrimination. This program is designed to open doors to qualified minorities that might otherwise be turned down. It is not suppose to be based on quotas, or preferences to the unqualified. It is suppose to give equal opportunity to all those qualified. Some institutions have set goals but that is their choice. .
My first argument supporting affirmative action has a strong historical background. This type of civil rights movement has been around since the beginning of the United States. The Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these truths self-evident that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness," (Janda, Berry, Goldman 1999, A1). This may have been what Thomas Jefferson wrote but the follow through has not been that easy.
Civil rights is not a new story. According to our text book, The Challenge of Democracy there is a lot of history behind civil rights. In 1857, Dread Scott v. Stanford ruled blacks as "subordinate and inferior beings". It was not until 1863 that the Emancipation Proclamation set slaves free. The next few years resulted in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were passed.
