Final answer:
Executive Order 11246, established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, is an order designed to prevent employment discrimination. It requires government contractors to take affirmative action towards civil rights protections without regard to race, creed, color, or national origin.
Step-by-step explanation:
Executive Order 11246 is an order to prevent employment discrimination. This order was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and aimed to enforce the civil rights protections in the workforce. Notably, it required government contractors to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin. This was a continuation and expansion of previous orders, such as Executive Order 8802 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which banned racial discrimination among employers and contractors who did business with the federal government.
In addition, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation in employment, which aligns with the objectives of Executive Order 11246. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing these federal laws. Executive Order 11246 is a critical piece in the framework of legal protections against employment discrimination in the United States.