Answer:
The Philadelphia Plan was an important step forward in civil rights because it was the first time that the federal government enforced affirmative action law. The Philadelphia Plan was initiated by President Richard Nixon in 1969, and it required federal contractors in Philadelphia to hire a certain percentage of minority workers. This marked the first time that affirmative action had been enforced by the federal government, and it set a precedent for future affirmative action policies. The Philadelphia Plan was seen as a major victory for civil rights advocates, who had been pushing for affirmative action policies to address historical discrimination against minority groups in the United States.