In this part o time, discrimination in employment practices was very common in America. Tremendous efforts were made to slow discrimination in employment practices, but the attempts to do so were unsuccessful. As time went on major breakthroughs for equal opportunity rights, such as desegregation of schools and laws that prohibited attempts to intimidate or prevent persons form voting, help establish the Civil Rights Act and the Civil Rights Commission. As the civil rights movement took on various discriminatory problems, bias in employment practices was becoming a major issue. This point in time was resolving many of the discriminatory issues, but discrimination in employment practiced was still a major problem, which escalated to the point of national recognition and was pushed to the forefront of the Civil rights Commission's agenda. The outcome of the fight over equal opportunity in business vs. discrimatory employment practices led to the Civil rights Act of 1964 and the establishment of affirmative action. Ever since the institution of this law, affirmative action has been a heated debate. .
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The intent of affirmative action programs was to level the playing field for minorities and eliminate discrimination in employment practices. However the opposition believes that affirmative action programs are not carrying out there purpose. The assumption of the opposition is that there is no need for affirmative action programs because the wrongdoings that have happened in the past no longer impact the lives of minorities in the present, discrimination and prejudice has long been extinct in America, and that affirmative action causes tension between different groups of people. Despite the critics I believe affirmative action programs have been, and still are necessary in today's society making sure minorities have access to equal opportunities available in business.