Although the policy was not introduced on a national level until the 1960's, the need to take positive steps to rectify discrimination's impact has been recognized since the Civil War. During the Reconstruction era, several organizations, such as the Freeman's Bureau, were established to create opportunities for former slaves, particularly in the south. ... Employment of minorities increased greatly in these industries until to 1945, when the world saw the end of World War II. ... One of the most revered presidents in history had been brutally assassinated just a year earlier,...

• Word Count: 1839
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Other Historians cite that Lincoln had no choice but to free the slaves in hoes of African American men joining the losing forces of the North during the civil war. ... The period ranging from 1984 through the mid 1990s it was an unpretentious era for AA. ...

• Word Count: 1643
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The two historians and myself disagree with Borritt who chooses to write that "it would be more accurate, even if more awkward, to call it the war for the American Dream.8" However, Borritt does not consider that Lincoln once told a friend that his "paramount object [was] the struggle to save the union and it [was] not either to save or destroy slavery,9" therefore demonstrating that he was not committed to the equality of African-Americans in the "de facto" sense. ... I most agree with Ward who stated "although slavery is buried...Jim Crow is very much alive...

• Word Count: 3529
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: Undergraduate