In the early 1960s, civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., aimed at achieving a completely color-blind society in which people would be judged solely "by the content of their character." Since then, however, governmental concern over civil rights has shifted from strict neutrality to the preferential hiring and promoting of certain groups in the workplace, and the preferential admission of certain minorities to educational institutions. This volume collects the most penetrating scholarly essays, key excerpts from court decisions, and perceptive commentaries on the latest developments in thinking about affirmative action. It should be of great interest to both students and the general reader alike.