Question

According to Thurgood Marshall, why was affirmative action necessary?

Answer 1

According to Thurgood Marshall, affirmative action was necessary to proactively counter patterns of historic discrimination and create a fair and equal playing field for minority candidates.

Step-by-step explanation:

Affirmative action was necessary according to Thurgood Marshall because it was seen as a proactive remedy to counter patterns of historic discrimination. It aimed to address the inequalities faced by minority groups by actively recruiting minority candidates and considering diversity as a positive attribute in employment decisions. Marshall believed that simply ending overt discriminatory policies would not be enough and that a more proactive approach was required to create a fair and equal playing field.

Answer 2

According to Thurgood Marshall, affirmative action necessary because the centuries of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States had made it impossible for African Americans to "catch up" to white in a socioeconomic sense without forced intervention.