Abstract
The essence of good government lies in its humanity—in its commitment to help the oppressed and the poor find economic well-being and equality. Affirmative action is a manifestation of that commitment. Its justification derives from the history of exclusion and discrimination suffered by millions of Americans who have sought, and been denied, equal access to employment and educational opportunity in this country. Affirmative action seeks to correct past and present discriminatory patterns and their effects. The concept dates back to the Wagner Act, which 40 years ago required “affirmative action” against employers whose antiunion activities violated the law. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has applied this concept to discrimination in employment based on race, national origin, and sex. Executive Order 11246, issued in 1965, barred employment discrimination in the federal government and by federal contractors and subcontractors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Association of American Medical Colleges, Division of Student Studies. U.S. medical school enrollments, 1971–72 through 1975–76. October 1976.
Association of Schools of Public Health, Data Collection Center. U.S. students by race and program of study. Table B12 of U.S. schools of public health, 1974–1975. October 1975.
College Entrance Examination Board. Midwestern higher education surveys, Report M-1, 1970.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 1974 EEO-1 report summary nationwide industries—health services, 1974.
Fisher, D. W. (Executive Director, Association of Schools of Public Health). Age, sex, ethnic origin as a function of year of graduation. Table I of a paper presented at the Conference on Current Information on Health Manpower, Tarrytown, New York. April 16–18, 1975.
Hawkins, A. F. Hawkins attacks Higher Education Committee (news release). February 4, 1976.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 75th annual report—medical education in the United States, 1974–1975. Journal of the American Medical Association, 234(13), 1339, and Table 14: Students admitted 1972–73 through 1974–75 and still in medical school or graduated. June 1975.
Kaviert, J., Martinez, C.,Jr., and Quesada, G. A preliminary study of Mexican-American medical students. Journal of Medical Education, 1975, 50, 859–860.
McCurdy, J. Many of poor eligible for UC fail to enroll. Los Angeles Times, November 12, 1975, CC, Part II.
National Academy of Sciences. Native-born U.S. citizens in the comprehensive roster, showing minority racial/ethnic groups. Table 7 of minority groups among United States doctorate-level scientists, engineers, and scholars, 1973. Washington, D.C., December 1974, p. 22.
National Academy of Sciences. Statistical profile of doctoral recipients, by racial or ethnic group and U.S. citizenship status. Table 5 of summary report 1974: Doctoral recipients from United States universities. Washington, D.C., June 1975, pp. 22–23.
U.S. Civil Service Commission, Bureau of Manpower Information Systems. Employment data as of November 30, 1974, compiled as requested by author. Received February 4, 1976.
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Federal Civil Rights Enforcement Effort—1974, Volume III: To ensure equal educational opportunity. January 1975.
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Employment data as of December 1975 compiled as requested by author. Received February 13, 1976.
U.S. General Accounting Office. More assurances needed that colleges and universities with government contracts provide equal employment opportunity. August 25, 1975.
Willie, C. V., and McCord, A. S. Black students at white colleges. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1972.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1977 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Roybal, E.R. (1977). Affirmative Action: A Congressional Perspective. In: Melnick, V.L., Hamilton, F.D. (eds) Minorities in Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5851-1_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5851-1_21
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-5853-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-5851-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive