What does Katznelson mean by white affirmative action How do U.S Essay - 1

What does Katznelson mean by white affirmative action How do U.S. government policies effect non-white Americans - Essay Example Katznelson points out that African Americans were legally excluded from government programs such as; unemployment insurance, social security, grants, assistance of elderly and poor. The blacks were segregated through; theological justification, harsh enforcement, economic compulsions, political institutions, social conventions, and racist ideas (Katznelson 5). The age of whiteness was marked by restricting Black Americans from crossing the set social boundaries, and this was implemented by the police state that had the authority. In addition, the author mentions that; although, Europeans and African Americas fought alongside each other at the Second World War, some eastern and southern Europeans, through the white affirmative action, got full rights at the expense of African Americans. This paper discusses the meaning of â€Å"white affirmative action† from Katznelson’s point of view, and address how U.S. government policies affect non-white Americans. When Katznelson talks of â€Å"white affirmative action†, he refers to the way in which various government programs, which were constituted in the 1930s and 1940s segregated the blacks. The authority of white affirmative action was prescribed in the constitution, society, and peoples’ minds. In his context, when the government programs segregated the blacks, they worked on the opposite direction and favored the whites. Therefore, the government programs became affirmative actions for the white race. White affirmative action was seen when the government used; the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) and National Labor Relations Act (1935) to formulate worker reform, which would result in getting rid of domestic, as well as, agricultural labor (Katznelson 62). In this manner, Black Americans became segregated in that they could not find employment. The white affirmative action within the U.S. government was propelled by