Affirmative Action
Gabriella Arreola
United States Government – 2305
Dr. Nancy Hart
6 October 2014
Essay Set II – Affirmative Action The Supreme Courts have recently decided to allow states to abolish affirmative action in college admissions if state voters say so. Instead of getting rid of affirmative action altogether, the court decided to let state voters control what will happen. Affirmative action in evaluating college applicants has supporters and opponents on both sides of the political spectrum, but generally speaking it is more popular among liberals than among conservatives. The Fourteenth Amendment outlaws racial discrimination. Racial quotas and preferences are and by definition, racial discrimination. Racial quotas are considered unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Universities across the United States had already been admitting blacks for years. But they found that relatively few blacks had the test scores and high school records that are normally required for admission. So they instituted affirmative action, an alternative for racial quotas and preferences. In time, Hispanics were added to the list anomalously. The state of Texas replaced affirmative action plan with a percentage plan that guarantees the top 10% of high-school graduates a spot in any state university in Texas. California and Florida have similar programs. Affirmative action arose out of a desire to bring minority groups into institutions and professions that had traditionally been dominated by white males.
Because of affirmative action, someone from a minority may beat or take the spot of someone more capable, simply because of their race or gender. Affirmative action is reverse discrimination. It seems unfair to judge college applicants on anything other than their merits. Affirmative action is the definition of reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is defined as the question of whether a person who is not of a minority race may be disadvantaged by preference given by
United States Government – 2305
Dr. Nancy Hart
6 October 2014
Essay Set II – Affirmative Action The Supreme Courts have recently decided to allow states to abolish affirmative action in college admissions if state voters say so. Instead of getting rid of affirmative action altogether, the court decided to let state voters control what will happen. Affirmative action in evaluating college applicants has supporters and opponents on both sides of the political spectrum, but generally speaking it is more popular among liberals than among conservatives. The Fourteenth Amendment outlaws racial discrimination. Racial quotas and preferences are and by definition, racial discrimination. Racial quotas are considered unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. Universities across the United States had already been admitting blacks for years. But they found that relatively few blacks had the test scores and high school records that are normally required for admission. So they instituted affirmative action, an alternative for racial quotas and preferences. In time, Hispanics were added to the list anomalously. The state of Texas replaced affirmative action plan with a percentage plan that guarantees the top 10% of high-school graduates a spot in any state university in Texas. California and Florida have similar programs. Affirmative action arose out of a desire to bring minority groups into institutions and professions that had traditionally been dominated by white males.
Because of affirmative action, someone from a minority may beat or take the spot of someone more capable, simply because of their race or gender. Affirmative action is reverse discrimination. It seems unfair to judge college applicants on anything other than their merits. Affirmative action is the definition of reverse discrimination. Reverse discrimination is defined as the question of whether a person who is not of a minority race may be disadvantaged by preference given by