5 Key Events in Affirmative Action History

5 Key Events in Affirmative Action History Affirmative action, also know as equal opportunity, is a federal agenda designed to counteract historic discrimination faced by ethnic minorities, women and other underrepresented groups. To foster diversity and compensate for the ways such groups have historically been excluded, institutions with affirmative action programs prioritize the inclusion of minority groups in the employment, education and government sectors, among others. Although the policy  aims to right wrongs, it is among the most controversial issues of our time. But affirmative action is not new. Its origins date back to the 1860s, when initiatives to make workplaces, educational institutions and other arenas more inclusive to women, people of color and individuals with disabilities were set into motion.  Ã‚   1. The 14th Amendment Is Passed More so than any other amendment of its time, the 14th Amendment paved the way for affirmative action. Approved by Congress in 1866, the amendment forbade states from creating laws that infringed upon the rights of U.S. citizens or  denied citizens equal protection under the law. Following in the steps of the  13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery, the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause would prove key in shaping affirmative action policy. 2. Affirmative Action Suffers Major Setback in Supreme Court Sixty-five years before the term â€Å"affirmative action† would come into popular use, the  Supreme Court  made a ruling that could’ve prevented the practice from ever launching. In 1896, the high court decided in landmark case  Plessy v. Ferguson  that the 14th Amendment did not prohibit a separate but equal society. In other words, blacks could be segregated from whites as long as the services they received were equal to those of whites. The Plessy v. Ferguson case stemmed from an incident in 1892 when Louisiana authorities arrested Homer Plessy, who was one-eighth black, for refusing to leave a whites-only railcar. When the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal accommodations didn’t violate the constitution, it paved the way for states to establish a series of segregationist policies. Decades later, affirmative action would seek to readdress these policies, also known as Jim Crow. 3. Roosevelt and Truman Fight Employment Discrimination For years, state-sanctioned discrimination would thrive in the United States. But two world wars marked the beginning of the end of such discrimination. In 1941- the year the Japanese attacked  Pearl Harbor-   President Franklin Roosevelt  signed Executive Order 8802. The order prohibited defense companies with federal contracts from using discriminatory practices in hiring and training. It marked the first time federal law promoted equal opportunity, thus paving the way for affirmative action. Two black leaders- A. Philip Randolph, a union activist, and Bayard Rustin, a civil rights activist, played critical roles in influencing Roosevelt to sign the groundbreaking order.  President Harry Truman  would play a crucial role in strengthening the legislation  Roosevelt  enacted. In 1948, Truman signed Executive Order 9981. It prohibited the Armed Forces from using segregationist policies and mandated that the military provide equal opportunities and treatment to all without regard to race or similar factors. Five years later, Truman further strengthened Roosevelt’s efforts when his Committee on Government Contract Compliance directed the Bureau of Employment Security to act affirmatively to end discrimination. 4. Brown v. Board of Education Spells End of Jim Crow When the Supreme Court ruled in 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson that a separate but equal America was constitutional, it dealt a major blow to civil rights advocates. In 1954, such advocates had an entirely different experience when the high court overturned Plessy via  Brown v. Board of Education. In that decision, which involved a Kansas schoolgirl who sought entry into a white public school, the court ruled that discrimination is a key aspect of racial segregation, and  it therefore  violates the 14th Amendment. The decision marked the end of Jim Crow and the beginning of the country’s initiatives to promote diversity in schools, the  workplace  and other sectors. 5. The Term â€Å"Affirmative Action† Enters American Lexicon President John Kennedy  issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961. The order made the first reference to â€Å"affirmative action† and strove to end discrimination with the practice. Three years later the Civil Rights Act of 1964 came about. It functions to eliminate employment discrimination as well as discrimination in public accommodations. The following year,  President Lyndon Johnson  issued Executive Order 11246, which mandated that federal contractors practice affirmative action to develop diversity in the workplace and end race-based discrimination, among other sorts. The Future of Affirmative Action   Today, affirmative action is widely practiced. But as tremendous strides are made in civil rights, the need for affirmative action is constantly called into question. Some states have even banned the practice. What’s to  come of  the practice? Will affirmative action exist 25 years from now? Members of the Supreme Court have said they hope the need for affirmative action is unnecessary by then. The nation remains highly racially stratified, making it doubtful that the practice will no longer be relevant.

Cold War History Essay

Cold War History Essay Cold War History Essay Cold War History Essay If you've got the assignment to write an essay about historical events, Cold War for example, you are expected to write a research paper. Your first task is to go to the library and find necessary information for research essay. Find and analyze as many information as you can, Cold War history essay cannot be based on one article. While writing Cold War history essay, you need to discover, interpret, and revise numerous publications, both primary and secondary.   Cold War, as an essay topic, requires deep understanding of the historical period and relations between the United States and Soviet Union. Essay Writing Tips Once you have visited your local library, collected enough information, and arranged your ideas (created an outline), you are ready to start writing an essay.   English essay format has to consist of three components:   introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.   Introduction paragraph should contain general information on the period of Cold War, the causes of conflict, tension and competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, their allies, and the overall political situation in the world in the period of 1940s-1990s.   Introduction should contain a thesis statement aimed at helping the reader to understand the Cold War history essay flow. Body paragraph should show your research work. Each paragraph should contain new idea and should start with new line.   English essay body paragraphs should be used to describe the reasons why Cold War tensions appeared and cover ideological differences between the US and the USSR. The US was a capitalist country at that time and the USSR was a communist country. Thus, you might mention that US was afraid of the spread of communism throughout the world. In addition, you should give other examples and support them with specific facts. Cold War history essay conclusion should summarize the main points of the whole essay.   Do not bring new information in the concluding section.   You may conclude with your own interpretation of the historical period and set the direction for further research.   For example, mention the Iron curtain speech, the development of the Atomic Bomb, etc.   Keep in mind that all sources you used or consulted for Cold War history essay writing have to be properly cited within the text as well as at the end of it. Bibliography list has to be formatted in accordance to the style requested by the tutor. Custom Essay Writing Help If you are not sure in your ability to write a good Cold War history essay, if you cannot decide on the overall direction, if you cannot find enough sources to support your ideas, you are welcome to ask writers for assistance!   In addition to final draft of your custom written paper, you get FREE plagiarism report and bibliography list.

Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple Personal Statement

Important Communication Advices for a Newly Engaged Couple - Personal Statement Example The fourth element is the channel, which is the mechanism that transmits the message. The fifth element is the feedback, which is the return message from the receiver to the sender. Another important element in the communication process is what communication specialists call noises, which tend to disrupt the communication. There are two main noises: mechanical noise and semantic noise. Mechanical noise has to do with such things as static on the radio, lines of type missing from a newspaper, or coughing during a lecture. Semantic noise is the degree of potential misunderstanding between sender and receiver. There are a number of barriers that tend to frustrate, impede, or even halt communication. These barriers may be personal, monological, ideological, or socio-cultural. Personal Barriers can be traced when the sender or receiver or both have negative feelings towards the other. Another example is the physical personal barriers, such as when one of the communicants has a headache or is sleepy. As for the monological barrier, it is when the communicator loses touch with the receivers because he or she is so self-occupied, and is blind to the nature and needs of the audience. On the other hand, many communication problems stem from the fact that communicants have different basic ideologies or political orientations. In addition, communicants will always have trouble communicating if they are not using the same language. Lastly, it is hard to communicate well with someone who has a different culture or belong to a different society. This is due to the differences in values, traditions, background, religion, economic status, etc. Strategies for Managing Interpersonal Conflicts: Dealing with... The management of our own non-verbal communication is extremely important. As nonverbal communication is capable of changing the spoken words in many ways, it is important to realize that we can safeguard our own communication against misinterpretation, if our nonverbal supports our verbal message. In other words, unless we manage the nonverbal attributes of our message so that they are compatible with our words, our total message is open to misinterpretation and may be screwed up. To put it clearly, if the receiver lacks awareness of the significance of the factors influencing the nonverbal communication, then he is likely to remain confused. It can be said that a large portion of a message comes not from the words spoken, but from nonverbal attributes that can be transmitted and received consciously or unconsciously. Such nonverbal communication usually serves a variety of functions in relation to verbal communication. Examples of these functions include repeating, complementing, c ontradicting, substituting, and regulating. Thus, the person who is not only aware of the nonverbal message and the factors influencing it, but also who manages his own nonverbal communication, is less likely to be confused or confusing. Finally, it can be concluded that most researchers agree on the importance and significance of nonverbal attributes in interpersonal communication. This belief is the motive behind the quotation: "What are words when the body can bend, cry, shout, and jump! There's language in one's eyes' and cheeks, lips and hips."

Thermography technique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Thermography technique - Essay Example Thus a complete surface temperature map of the object can be obtained in a non-contact manner. With appropriate calibration, it is also possible to get the absolute temperature values of any point on the surface of the object. Standards are required for calibration and these standards are materials of known emissivity in the temperature range of calibration. Infrared refers to a region of spectrum between the visible and microwave. The infrared spectrum extends from 0.75 mm to 1000 ?m wavelength range. However for practical applications it is the 1 – 15 ?m wavelength band, which is used. The properties of infrared radiations are similar to those of other electromagnetic radiations like light. These radiations travel in straight lines; propagate in vacuum as well as in solid, liquid and gases. These radiations can be optically focussed and directed by mirrors and lenses. The laws of geometrical optics are valid for infrared radiations as well. The energy and intensity of infrar ed radiation emitted by an object primarily depends on its temperature and can be calculated using the analytical tools such as Wein’s law, Plank’s law and Stefan Boltzmann law. When a body is heated, there is an increase in the temperature and emitted energy. The spectrum of infrared radiation emitted by a heated object contains a continuous band of wavelength over a specific range. The fundamental equations or radiation laws that link the absolute temperature of the emitting object, peak radiation, the intensity and wavelength are the Plank’s Law, the Stefan-Boltzmann Law and the Wein’s Displacement Law. The Plank’s law describes the spectral distribution of radiation intensity from a black body and is mathematically expressed as: [Wm-2sr-1?m-1] †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. (1) Where, W? = Blackbody spectral radiant emittance at wavelength ? (?m) c = 3x108 m/s is the velocity of light in vacuum h = 6.634 x10-3 4 Js is Plank’s constant k = 1.4 x10-23 J/K is Boltzmann’s constant T is absolute temperature of the blackbody Spectral radiant emittance of a blackbody at different temperatures is shown in Fig.1 [1]. Fig. 1: Spectral radiant emittance of a blackbody at different temperatures It can be seen in Fig. 1 that total energy radiated by a blackbody i.e. area under the spectral radiant emittance increases with increasing temperature of the blackbody. Further it can be seen that maxima of the spectral radiant emittance is shifting towards lower wavelength with increasing temperature of the blackbody. If one differentiates equation (1) with respect to ? and equates the differential to zero then one gets the relationship between the temperature of the blackbody and the wavelength corresponding to the maximum spectral radiance. This relationship is known as Wein’s law and is mathematically expressed as [2]: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. (2) Where, ?max is the wavelength corresponding to the maximum spectral emittance T is absolute temperature of the blackbody This equation supports left ward shift of the spectral emittance peak with increasing temperature of the blackbody as in Fig. 1. Integrating equation (1) with respect to ? between the limits ? = 0 to ? for a given temperature T of a blackbody, one gets total radiant power emitted into a hemisphere from the blackbody. This relationship is known as Stefan’s-Boltzmann law and is mathematically expressed as: Total emittance [W/cm2] †¦

Social Classes in America :: Informative Essay

Social class divisions have always played a prominent role in America. These class distinctions inflict unfair on all Americans. The idea of social class has been a central concept in determining the opportunities a person is capable of having. People from different socioeconomic backgrounds live different lifestyles as well as have different opportunities available to them. Because of this idea, people with a higher social class ranking have an advantage over those in lower class rankings. Class distinctions have inflicted limitations and less of an opportunity for been factors are a barrier and prevention for lower class Americans to have an equal opportunity. The sociological tone limitations that. Young people must be convinced of the value of a good education. Despite lofty goals such as instilling self-confidence and acquiring knowledge, a High School diploma increases future income. A non-high school graduate's average earnings in 1996 was $14, 013. A high school graduate earned 21,431 on average. Going to a college or trade school makes one's economic outlook even brighter with Bachelor holder earning 36,980 on average (Statistical Abstract of the United States). Thousands of inner city youth, smothered by the poverty and hopelessness that abounds in inner-city communities, lose their lives. In addition to physical moralities, many suffer an emotional death that ends in a loss of hope and continues the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. Economic disadvantage limits the number of resources available to youth. With over 49.8% of youth aged 12-24 living below

Fairy Tales and a Dose of Reality Essay

Today’s media plays a massive role in the establishment of a fantasy marriage that was first embodied in the classic tale of Cinderella. Many people are persuaded into believing that these finely crafted stories occur everyday and are very much achievable. Catherine Orenstein illustrates this in her essay â€Å"Fairy Tales and a Dose of Reality†. Orenstein relates the connection of many people’s fantasies and ambitions of perfect marriages and relationships with the success of Hollywood’s own interpretations of Prince Charmings and Cinderellas. However, the interpretations were not based off of pure fiction. She points out the popular T.V. series â€Å"The Bachelorette† is a satire of the entire Cinderella Story and draws many people’s attention because this is what so many of them crave. Many people however do not realize that the actual fairy tales themselves from the late 17th centuries are not at all about cliche happy endings and romance . These tales incorporate harsh truths that exist in human nature such as jealousy, greed, lying and cheating. Orenstein uses these examples to awaken people about how much are expectations and desires of romance and marriage have been manipulated and twisted over the past three hundred years into something almost unimaginable and far from reality. She puts to rest one of the most common fairy tales Cinderella by explaining how one of the original authors, Perrault, based his story off of typical aristocratic marriages in the 17th century and not from some make-believe fantasy that he wanted to entice his readers with. Orenstein closes the essay by bringing in the true history of the wedding. Weddings weren’t evoked by undying lust and erotic love for a partner, but rather they were established by the parents of the two families often times to settle disagreements or to spread the wealth by joining themselves together.

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 2413 Words

The historical fiction novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is one of the most remarkable written pieces of literature in the United States due to its outstanding use of dialect. Twain was born and raised in Florida, Missouri- an extremely racist state-where the manner of how people speak impacts society, so he decides to write a novel, which he hopes will represent the different terminologies and their importance. Growing up, Twain’s father owned a slave and had an uncle who owned many so he was often found playing in slave head quarters and became inspired to create the well-known character Jim. This novel was written in the year 1885, which at that time, segregation and discrimination towards African Americans†¦show more content†¦Huck’s dad, Pap, dies as well so Huck no longer needs to worry about running away and constantly hiding from him. Huck’s definition of being civilized is going to church, having good manners, wearing clean clothes, and following society’s rules. Huck, a carefree individual, lives a life of being an uncivilized outcast. He does not want to succumb to being civilized like the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, and rejects dressing properly or attending school. He prefers to be unsupervised and live his life outside of the social norm. Huck makes his own judgments and decisions that are not influenced by society. Throughout the novel Huck struggles with two voices going through his mind. One voice is the voice of society, which suggests that he should turn Jim in to the authorities as a run away slave. The second voice is his own and he sees Jim as an equal individual and clearly can tell that turning him in would be wrong because he deserves freedom along with every other slave. As the novel continues, Huck’s judgment changes slowly into a person who sees everyone as equal and is not affected by society. When Huck talks about helping Jim escape to freedom, he feels guilty so he begins to write a letter to Miss Watson informing her that Jim ran away. Huck comes to the conclusion that he will end up feeling even guiltier if he turns in Jim, who has become a close friend of his. He decides to rip up the letter and says, â€Å"Alright, then, I’ll go to hell† (Twain