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Summary Of When Affirmative Action Was White

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Ira Katznelson is the author of When Affirmative Action Was White, a historical analysis of the history of affirmative action and racial inequality in the United States of America. Katznelson takes a definitive approach to the history of legislation and inequalities and prepares the reader initially with his title. Katznelson’s argumentative position and approach to the title of his book makes the reader question about affirmative action for white Americans, but in reality what Katznelson means by his title, When Affirmative Action Was White, is more based on the social programs and federal grant opportunities that were created and provided to Americans during the Roosevelt and Truman administration. Katznelson argument encompasses historical …show more content…

The social geography of the country altered dramatically. The encouragement given to homeownership helped spawn the suburban sprawl that would characterize postwar growth. As Michael Bennett, author of the main history of the GI Bill noted: “The GI Bill changed where and how Americans lived. Suburbs sprang up like mushrooms around every sizable city....As surely as the Homestead Act of 1862 filled the prairies of the Far West, the GI Bill created and filled the suburbs.” (Katznelson, pg. …show more content…

The benefits of Affirmative Action are meant to level the opportunities for African Americans in all aspects of American life. After Kennedy’s implementation, President Johnson and his administration extended Affirmative Action benefits to more groups of people in the promotion of social equality throughout the United States. With Affirmative Action still in effect today, the United States of America more than remedied the initial loopholes of federal benefits with the first drafts. To continue to further extend federal benefits for Affirmative Action today could completely reverse the original scenario in time and create even more inequalities within the American political system. Affirmative Action helped the remedy the disadvantage African Americans faced and create equal opportunities for more social groups. If Affirmative Action stays in effect, nothing further should be done by the United States government, African Americans have all the civil rights that white Americans have and if they face discrimination as a result of their race, they have opportunities to remedy the

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The New Deal, World War II, and post-World War II marked significant periods in American history as the federal government created various programs to relieve the nation from the Great Depression and spur economic growth. However, as Ira Katznelson points out in his book, “When Affirmative Action Was White,” these programs held disparities that disproportionately benefited white Americans. This essay will examine how New Deal, World War II, and post-World War II programs represented affirmative action for white Americans. In “When Affirmative Action Was White,” Katznelson explores how New Deal programs represented affirmative action for white Americans.

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