affirmative action Essay - 1839 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Affirmative action is an attempt by the United States to amend a long history of racial discrimination and injustice. Our school textbook defines affirmative action as â€Å"a program established that attempts to improve the chances of minority applicants for educational or employment purposes, although they may have the same qualifications, by giving them leverage so that they can attain a level that is equal to caucasian applicants† (Berman 522). There are people that support and oppose this issue. Opponents of affirmative action have many reasons for opposing this issue, one of them being that the battle for equal rights is over, and that this advantage made for people of color discriminates against people that†¦show more content†¦Congress also passed a number of civil rights laws barring discrimination against blacks in hotels, theaters, and other places. However, the South reacted by passing the quot;Black Codes, quot; which severely lim ited the rights of the newly freed slaves, preventing them in most states from testifying in courts against whites, and limiting their opportunities to find work. Even though blacks were given suffrage, the white Americans from the south found ways to stop them from voting. These laws were called grandfather laws, which meant that if your relatives could vote prior to 1867, you were permitted to vote. Moreover, this excluded all recently freed slaves (Berman 510). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson case, a man who is one eighth black, and seven eighths white, decides to sit in the front of a train, but is not allowed because he of the fact that he is one eighth black. He felt that although only an eighth of his blood was black, that overall he should have been considered white. When taken to court, it was declared that the state of Louisiana had the right to segregate their races in every public facility. Thus began the quot;Jim Crowquot; legislation. Jim Crow laws were made to have â€Å"separate, but equal† facilities for people of color. Not until about sixty years later, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court judge ruled that â€Å"separate, but equal† was unconstitutional. This decision created racial tensionsShow MoreRelatedThe Affirmative Of Affirmative Action Essay1389 Words   |  6 Pages Many affirmative action efforts have been made since the end of the Civil War in order to remedy the results of hundreds of years of slavery, segregation and denial of opportunity for groups that face discrimination. Many African Americans such as President Barack Obama, Senator Cory Booker, the writer Toni Morrison, the literary scholar Henry Louis Gates, media star Oprah Winfrey, and rap star Jay-Z have achieved positions of power and influence in the wider society (Giddens, Duneier, AppelbaumRead MoreAffirmative Action1160 Words   |  5 PagesAffirmative Action Marlene S. Smith MGT/434 October 28, 2013 Thomas Affirmative Action Affirmative action is an action that was purposefully designed to provide full and equal opportunities for employment and education for women, minorities, and other individuals belonging to disadvantaged groups. This paper will assess the rudiments of Affirmative Action as it applies to public and private sector employers. The paper will also evaluate what employers are subject to affirmative actionRead MoreAffirmative Action1559 Words   |  7 PagesRESEARCH PAPER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION INTRODUCTION Affirmative Action is an employment legislation protection system that is intended to address the systemized discrimination faced by women and minorities. It achieves this by enforcing diversity through operational intrusions into recruitment, selection, and other personnel functions and practices in America. Originally, Affirmative Action arose because of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s desire to integrate society on educationalRead MoreAffirmative Action1571 Words   |  7 PagesName Professor Name Management 11th November 2011 Affirmative Action Thesis: Affirmative Action has helped many women and minorities in entering the job market. Although there has been a lot of hue and cry regarding the benefits of the affirmative action and the suitability of candidates selected thorough affirmative action; research has shown that affirmative action is beneficial and the candidates of affirmative action perform as well as those who are selected through theRead MoreAffirmative Actions1078 Words   |  5 PagesRunning Head: AFFERMATIVE ACTION Affirmative Actions Affirmative action is an action taken by an organization to select on the basis of race, gender, or ethnicity by giving due preferences to minorities like women and races being not adequately represented under the existing employment. To make the presentation of all these compositions almost equal in proportion to do away the injustice done in the past. The Supreme Company need to design an affirmative action program in the light ofRead MoreAffirmative Action1759 Words   |  8 PagesAffirmative Action Right? Affirmative action has been around for decades. Some believe it isn’t fair but others do. Those who believe and agree with affirmative action tend to say, â€Å"The principle of affirmative action is to promote societal equality through the preferential treatment of socioeconomically disadvantaged people† (Bidmead, Andrew pg 3). Others that disagree with it and find it unfair simply see it as another form of discrimination, giving one group extra advantages based upon nothingRead MoreAffirmative Action And Its Effects On Affirmative1263 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout America there are many different views on the effects of affirmative action. Many see it as a negative policy which gives an unnecessary advantage to minorities in America. In a 2009 Pew Poll, â€Å"58% of African Americans agree† and only â€Å"22% whites agree† that there should be â€Å"preferential treatment to improve the position of blacks and other minorities† (Public Backs Affirmative Action†). Today affirmative action and other racial injustices tend to be in the spotlight quite often, suchRead MoreAffirmative Action774 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative action is a practice that is intended to promote opportunities for the â€Å"protected class† which includes minorities, woman, and people with disabilities or any disadvantaged group for that matter. With affirmative action in place people of this protected class are given an even playing field in terms of hiring, promotion, as well as compensation. Historically, affirmative action is only known to have protected African Americans and woman; however that is not the case. Affirmative actionRead MoreAffirmative Action : Gender Action Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesAffirmative Action (ADD PROPER INTRO) Affirmative action, in its broadest sense, are attempts to help create labor and educational opportunities for groups that have been disadvantaged in the past. (Miriam Webster). Evidence has shown that throughout history, many groups have been discriminated against, and because of past (discriminations?), they continue to experience obstacles in areas of hiring, promotion, renting, buying, gaining education, and everyday economic activities. Thus, affirmativeRead MoreAffirmative Action Is An Action Or Policy? Essay1774 Words   |  8 Pages Affirmative Action remains one of the more complicated and controversial topics dealt with in American society. Affirmative Action is an action or policy designed to protect specific groups who suffer from discrimination, and provide them with programs and special opportunities. These government or private programs were designed to set right historical injustices towards the members of these groups who have suffered things like employment and e ducational disadvantages from racial discrimination

Gender Roles And Roles Of William Shakespeare s The...

Gender plays an important role in Shakespeare’s comedies. Cross gender roles and cross dressing are essential not only for the inherent humour of the situation but also for the advancment of the plot. English Renaissance stereotypes of women and men and their various roles and responsibilities in society are reflected in Shakespeare. What sets Shakespeare apart is the fact that he also challenges, and at times even breaks down those stereotypes especially in his comedies. Hamlet may proclaim â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman†, but even the merest of character analyses of Portia in The Merchant of Venice, or Viola in The Twelfth Night conclusively proves that they are anything but. In this paper we begin by examining the prevailing gender†¦show more content†¦Other praised virtues included physical features and beauty. Men naturally had more powerful roles to play both socially as well as politically. In Renaissance society, men were expected to engage in public a ffairs, to be talkers, make decisions, and on the whole be far more active compared to women. They led aggressive, self-satisfying, and (supposedly) duty bound lives. Men controlled the positions of powerful positions ranging from family to the state. Ironically, the monarch was a female, who was the most powerful person of the land. GENDER AND THE TWELFTH NIGHT: Shakespeare’s greatness and enduring popularity cannot be attributed to a single or even a small set of factors. It is undoubtedly the case however that one of Shakespeare’s greatest traits has been to unshackle himself from the limitations of his age. He transcends the stereotypical views of Renaissance society as he portrays women as more than passive vessels. Women are often equal to or sometimes even superior in their intelligence wit and vivacity compared to their male counterparts. Viola, the resourceful and practical female protagonist of The Twelfth Night stands out in this regard. Once she is shipwrecked and alone she quickly calculates that her position as a single lady in a foreign land is a very dangerous one. To counteract that she, with the help of the benevolent captain disguises herself as a man or a eunuch and proceeds to the court of Orsino the duke of Illyria. There, she

Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example For Students

Fahrenheit 451 Essay Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag has an emotional dilemma whether to go against the system or abide by the law. This law forbids the reading of all books. Guy Montag is a fireman who ironically sets books on fire instead of putting fires out. The decision to betray his fellow firemen is encouraged when a women is killed because she is caught possessing books. She made the empty rooms roar with accusation and shake down a fine dust guilt that was sucked in their nostrils as they plunged about.(37). Ray Bradburys novel Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a futuristic city while a war is taking place. Oddly enough the city has its own problems. The protagonist , Guy Montag, goes against society and steals books to read at home, meets a friend to help him in his brave stand against society but gets discovered, then barely escapes his punishment to join a group of people who attempt to preserve knowledge through memorization. At the beginning of the novel Guy Montag is described as a minstrel man (4). He is a fireman who never questioned the pleasure of watching pages consumed by flames. (Back cover). He is a brave individual who decides to rebel against society. Montag meets a crazy and imaginative seventeen-year old girl named Clarisse McClellan. She tells him of a time when firemen used to put out fires instead of making them. After that, Montag and the other firemen burn a house filled with books and burn its owner. They crashed the front door and grabbed at a women, though she was not running , she was not trying to escape. (38). This incident makes Montag start to think that there is something important and valuable in those books, for a woman to stay and burn with them. Montag then starts to get curious and reads books, betraying the firemen. In the middle of the book, Captain Beatty, the antagonist who is the fire captain, detects that Montag is questioning the law. Captain Beatty tries to explain the law Every fireman sooner or later hits this . They only need understanding, to know how the wheels run. Need to know the history of the profession.(53). Montag disagrees with him and meets an old retired English Professor named Faber who helps him understand the books. The things youre looking for, Montag, are in the world, but the only way an average chap will ever see ninety-nine per cent of them is in a book.(80). In doing this he gets wiser and learns more about famous poets and writers. This changes his out look on life. His secret gets discovered and the firemen burn his house which is where the books are thought to be. The climax is when Montag turns to Captain Beatty with the flame thrower and says We never burned right and then sets him on fire, killing him. Beatty flopped over and over and over, and at last twis ted in on himself like a charred wax doll and lay silent.(119). Montag then barely escapes the fire stations deadly mechanical hound, by jumping in the river and floating down stream, disguising his scent. Then he dressed in Fabers old clothes and shoes. He tossed his own clothing into the river and watched it swept away. Then, holding his suitcase, he walked out in the river until there was no bottom and he was swept away in the dark. (135). Finally, down the river, away from all the excitement, Montag starts to feel lonely because it is just him against every one else in the city. (Down the river) Montag then finds a group of friendly homeless people who are there for the same reason, reading books. This group hopes to preserve knowledge for future generations by memorizing passages from books. They do this so they cannot be caught and it also improves their thinking. All the while a war is going on and all of a sudden planes came swooping down and bombed the city. The city rolled over and fell down dead. The sound of death came after (160). Montag and his group are safe but the city is leveled. Montag and his group then decided to go back to the city and help rebuild hoping that people realize that their ways are wrong. When they ask us what were doing, you can say, Were remembering. Thats where well win out in the long run. And someday well remember so much that well build the biggest goddamn steamshovel in history an d dig the biggest grave of all time and shove war in and cover it up.(164) In conclusion Montag, rebels against society with the help of Faber, gets discovered and kills Captain Beatty, and then escapes the mechanical hound to join a group of homeless people in the same situation. The author suggests that people should stand up for what they believe in and never give up. Even though everyone was against Montags idea of reading books does not mean it was wrong.

The Texas Revolution Essay Example

The Texas Revolution Paper The Texas Revolution By Jessica Bouillon Texas History The Texas Revolution was a key point in our nation’s history and in the history of the state of Texas. For, if Texas had not revolted the way that they did, it would probably not have become a state. There are many causes that are speculated on why Texas revolted whether they are political disputes against the Centralist party in Mexico that had primary control at the time of the Revolution. These and more will be explored. Also, there are key battles in the Texas Revolution that decided the final fate of Texas, none more famous than the famous Battle of San Jacinto and The Alamo. The most popular, speculated cause of the Texas Revolution is that Texas was following in the footsteps of America. Most people think that Texas was fighting out of extreme displeasure with an intolerable, tyrannical, and undemocratic government like the Americans fought against the autocratic British. Most people think that Texas fought against Mexico because of the abolishment of the Constitution of 1824. â€Å"The Constitution of 1824, the first of the newly independent Republic of Mexico, was the document under which DeWitt Colonists were invited to emigrate to the Republic, was the one under which they assumed they were protected and the one they swore to defend. It evolved out of the acta constitucional authored by northeastern Mexican statesman, Jose Miguel Ramos Arispe† (http://www. amu. edu/ccbn/dewitt). With the abolishment of the Constitution of 1824 by the Centralist PARTY IN Mexico, tensions between Mexico and Texas quickly rose. Of course, there are always â€Å"conspiracy theories†, one of which holds the belief that the slaveholders wanted control of Texas which would have turned a great profit. The slave trade going on throughout the world at the time of the Revolution was a very successful, and profitable business to be involved in. f the slaveholder s had gotten a hold of Texas, Texas would [probably have become on e of the major slave-trade posts in the entire country. During the time before the revolution the world slave-trade was still very big and slaves were still very important â€Å"items† in the typical household being as the revolution was some 25 years or so before the United States started their Civil War and President Lincoln abolished slavery. Still another speculated cause for the revolution in Texas was economics. There were many land speculators that were also U. We will write a custom essay sample on The Texas Revolution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Texas Revolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Texas Revolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer S. migrants to Texas that were intent on making money from selling land. They had speculators in Texas, and Coahuila and financial centers in New York and Philadelphia. The speculators would speculate how much a piece of land was worth then sell it and turn the profits over to a financial center and make a tremendous profit from it. Yet another reason why Texans might have revolted was that they were trying to preserve and maintain the political values and economic gain while under the Constitution of 1824. It gave Texas a steady population flow of American migrants moving onto Texas soil. It also gave them political liberty, freedom to own slaves and a steady economic progression. But Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, president of Mexico, wished to impose a stricter rule which could also explain why Texas felt the need to separate from Mexico. Another speculated cause was that the Anglo-Americans that lived there refused to conform to the Mexican rules and laws. Most were protestant and therefore refused to convert to Catholicism. They also refused to pay their duties to the government and did not support troop increases for the Mexican army but had their own militias. They also viewed the Mexican form of government as politically and culturally inferior. There was also ethnocentrism or racism as a key factor and guiding force as most of the people who lived in Texas viewed the people of Mexico and racially inferior in politics, culture, and color. Things like this would definitely cause a lot of tension between Mexico and the Anglo-Americans of Texas. The revolution officially begun on October ninth of 1835 with the Battle of Goliad. This was the first offensive of the war for Texas’ independence. At first the Mexican army overwhelmed Texas. But, Goliad is where a local colonel and militia captured the fort and town of Goliad. Then on December twentieth of 1835 the town of Goliad signed the first declaration of Texas independence. It was on this day that the first official flag of Texas was hoisted. Although Texas was overwhelmed by Mexico in the beginning they were able to capture the Crossroads at San Antonio de Bexar and seize the garrison known as the Alamo by December of 1835. The Alamo is the most well-known and famous battle in the Texas revolution. There are a few major names associated with the defense of the Alamo. David Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barrett Travis were among those who fought and died for Texas independence. After Texas captured the Alamo Mexico fought and recaptured it and wound up killing every man defending it. After the massacre at the Alamo Texans were reported to have yelled â€Å"Remember the Alamo† at every battle ensuing including the final Battle of San Jacinto which took place on April twenty-first of 1836. It was between Sam Houston and 910 pioneers versus the Mexican army. The battle itself only lasted around twenty minutes. After the battle was over the Texans went on a search for Santa Anna and once found him captured him forcing Mexico to surrender. Upon his capture they forced Santa Anna to sign an order to evacuate Mexican troops from Texas territory. They also forced Mexico to sign many treaties declaring Texas an independent republic free of Mexico. In conclusion, the war for Texas independence was very short lasting a less than a year. But the tension leading up to it had been brewing since the abolishment of the Constitution of 1824. Although there is still speculation as to the true cause of the Texas Revolution most that are listed here can be considered somewhat valid. Works Cited http://www. lone-star. net/mall/texasinfo/txrevolution. htm http://www. tamu. edu/ccbn/dewitt/batsanjacinto. htm