The Decline Of The Affirmative Action In American Higher Education

The Affirmative Action program was designed to overcome the present effects of past discrimination on members of minority groups in employment,education and other fields since the mid-1960.Ever since it was enacted,it has stirred up considerable discussions and even confrontations.Conducted under the methods of historical study and textual analysis,this thesis focuses on the high education admission under the policy and endeavors to prove the declining process of this policy in the field of education.The thesis consists of six parts.The introduction part introduces the origin and development of the Affirmative Action,literature review and the research methods and layout of the thesis.Chapter One discusses the controversial elements within the Affirmative Action itself,mainly the belief of equality and the criterion as race ethnicity and class.Chapter Two analyzes several governmental administrations' attitudes and regulations on the Affirmative Action.Chapter Three elaborates on prevailing ideas from Asian American and African American,in which different and contradictory ideas within ethnic groups are presented and explored,which reflects people accumulating dissatisfaction on the policy.Chapter Four describes how the U.S.Supreme Court ruled several cases and exhibits its trend of decision-making.The conclusion part proves that the Affirmative Action in American higher education is declining on the basis that its support from government and people is scaled back little by little and the standard imposed by the Supreme Court is stricter and stricter.Equality and fairness are not determined terms and the empathy for one group can be a discrimination against others.When the tinted color of race or ethnicity on the Affirmative Action fade,the policy's duty is fulfilled.