Affirmative Action The American Civil War ended an African holocaust that had lasted almost three centuries, devastating generations of human beings. It took most of the next century for decedents of the Africans enslaved in the American States to enjoy any of the actual freedoms and rights that were supposed to have been guaranteed to them after 1865. In many respects, contemporary American culture still features residual consequences of Slavery in the everyday lives of black Americans.

Affirmative Action developed under the Civil Rights movement initiated by the Kennedy Administration in the 1960's. Forty years later, the U.S. Supreme Court is still hearing arguments representing two diametrically opposite views of Affirmative Action, in principle, most recently, on June 23, 2003, when it reconsidered the issue in relation to its landmark ruling of 1978. (1,2)

The spectrum of political opinion on the issue stretches very wide indeed:

On one hand, there is the belief that modern day black American descendants of African slaves are due monetary compensation for the injustices inflicted on their ancestors, because much of big business in the United States was built by their sweat, not to mention their tears. This position includes the belief that the living conditions of millions of poor blacks in urban areas and the under representation of blacks in positions of influence in corporate America is (still) a direct consequence of Slavery.

1. Grutter v. Bollinger, (02-241) 288 F.3d 732, affirmed.

2. Regents of Univ. Of Cal. v. Bakke, http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct-cgi/get-us-cite?438+265" 438 U.S. 265 (1978).

The opposite point-of-view is that Slavery ended almost a century and a half ago, and modern day white American aren't any more responsible for the sins of their ancestors than modern day black Americans are due any moral compensation, because they already enjoy all the same rights as white Americans. Affirmative Action programs, have diluted the value of educational credentials awarded by some of the most prestigious universities, and thinned the talent pool of candidates ultimately offered corporate positions at many business institutions.

Surely, contemporary black Americans deserve the same rights as their white counterparts, and there certainly is a moral obligation to provide comparable opportunities...

Perhaps nobody is harmed worse by the current incarnation of Affirmative Action legislation than the black American who is genuinely qualified to attend the best colleges and to consideration, purely on the merits, for an influential position within a corporate business institution.
Just as surely, society benefits tremendously by sponsoring public programs to assist everyone achieve his full personal, educational and professional potential, regardless of race, color, or creed. Likewise, there is immeasurable value in public policies designed to recognize human potential, especially wherever it can be encouraged, cultivated, and rewarded, despite influences to the contrary.

When considering the demographic data on poverty in the United States, it appears that the history of American Slavery contributed to at least some of the factors responsible for the socioeconomic divide between black and white Americans that still exists, particularly in the former confederate states.(3) Very often, the 3. Facts from the Census Bureau for Black History Month; United States Department of Commerce News (1996) realities of living in urban areas expose black Americans to much higher rates of poverty, infant mortality, unemployment, homelessness, and other legitimate challenges to personal, educational, and professional success than one experiences living in other communities.

The problem with many current Affirmative Action policies is that they are overbroad" in that they reward recipients merely by virtue of their race, rather than in relation to their genuinely deserving compensation for having overcome the types of hardships they were designed to compensate, in the first place. At the time of their inception, Affirmative Action programs based on race might have been justified, owing to the very close correlation between racial status and lack of educational and professional opportunities. Forty years later, racial status was no longer as closely linked to deprivation and hardship, which is, in part, testament to the successful rectification of some of the inequities they were designed to redress, originally.(4)

Nowadays, under overbroad application of Affirmative Action programs, even black Americans raised in relative affluence are often eligible for more public assistance than white Americans who overcome daunting…