Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action Paper

What is affirmative action and why is there so much controversy around the subject of the need for employers both private and public sector to observe it? To preface these two questions it is important to look at the history of the United States of America. The origins of affirmative action can be observed during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802. Executive Order 8802 precedes Executive Order 11246 which would later disseminate additional rules and laws regarding discrimination in the workplace. Executive Order 8802 was signed to prevent discrimination and specifically, “as a prerequisite to the successful conduct of our national defense production effort” as stated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2007). The signing of the Executive Order 8802 by President Roosevelt in 1946 indicates how government has become involved with discrimination rights. President Roosevelt’s true intentions for the signing of this order are clearly stated, however, could it be that the signing of Executive Order 8802 was a form of exploitation of personal rights by the government? Frequently, affirmative action is misinterpreted and just not understood, however, when it is, it is still debated under the guise of government involvement – people do not like it. Affirmative action is not a quota system; it is a system that allows for discriminated parties to have a level playing field in the right to employment.

The employers that take part in affirmative action can be divided into two categories – public and private sector employers. Public sector employers contract with the federal government, and offer employment at the state and federal level. Private sector employers are those employers that are not government jobs. The reason that both public and private sector employers take part in affirmative action plans can be understood in the guidelines for those plans and how...