praj-17/QA-MCQ-Open-ended huggingface dataset:
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: Ideas for affirmative action came as early as the Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) in which a former slave population lacked the skills and resources for sustainable living. In 1865, General William Tecumseh Sherman proposed to divide the land and goods from Georgia and grant it to families of color which became the "Forty acres and a mule" policy. The proposal was never widely adopted due to strong political opposition. Nearly a century later (1950s-1960s), policies to assist classes of individuals reemerged during the Civil Rights Movement. The civil rights guarantees came through the interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The decisions came to be known as affirmative action in which mandatory, as well as voluntary programs, affirmed the civil rights of people of color. Furthermore, these affirmative action programs protected people of color from the present effects stemming from past discrimination. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy became the first to utilize the term "affirmative action" in Executive Order 10925 to ensure that government contractors "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 executive order realized the government's intent to create equal opportunities for all qualified people. This executive order was eventually amended and superseded by Lyndon B. Johnson's Executive Order 11246 which prevented discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin by organizations which received federal contracts and subcontracts. In 1967, the order was amended to include sex as well. The Reagan administration was opposed to the affirmative action requirements of Executive Order 11246, but these contemplated changes[which?] faced bi-partisan opposition in Congress.

question: When did the Reconstruction Era end? 

answer: 1877

question: Who proposed that land be divided and split up among families of color? 

answer: General William Tecumseh Sherman

question: What was the policy of dividing land among families of color referred to as? 

answer: Forty acres and a mule

question: Which part of the constitution was the basis for policies that were developed during the Civil Rights Movement? 

answer: Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment

question: Who was the first person to utilize the term "affirmative action"? 

answer: President John F. Kennedy
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: The first appearance of the term 'affirmative action' was in the National Labor Relations Act, better known as the Wagner Act, of 1935.:15 Proposed and championed by U.S. Senator Robert F. Wagner of New York, the Wagner Act was in line with President Roosevelt's goal of providing economic security to workers and other low-income groups. During this time period it was not uncommon for employers to blacklist or fire employees associated with unions. The Wagner Act allowed workers to unionize without fear of being discriminated against, and empowered a National Labor Relations Board to review potential cases of worker discrimination. In the event of discrimination, employees were to be restored to an appropriate status in the company through 'affirmative action'. While the Wagner Act protected workers and unions it did not protect minorities, who, exempting the Congress of Industrial Organizations, were often barred from union ranks.:11 This original coining of the term therefore has little to do with affirmative action policy as it is seen today, but helped set the stage for all policy meant to compensate or address an individual's unjust treatment.[citation needed]

question: In which document did the term "affirmative action" first appear? 

answer: National Labor Relations Act

question: Who was the author of the National Labor Relations Act? 

answer: Senator Robert F. Wagner

question: Who did employers routinely blacklist of fire? 

answer: employees associated with unions

question: Who was able to review complaints about possible worker discrimination? 

answer: National Labor Relations Board

question: Which group of people did the Wagner Act fail to protect? 

answer: minorities
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: FDR's New Deal programs often contained equal opportunity clauses stating "no discrimination shall be made on account of race, color or creed",:11 but the true forerunner to affirmative action was the Interior Secretary of the time, Harold L. Ickes. Ickes prohibited discrimination in hiring for Public Works Administration funded projects and oversaw not only the institution of a quota system, where contractors were required to employ a fixed percentage of Black workers, by Robert C. Weaver and Clark Foreman,:12 but also the equal pay of women proposed by Harry Hopkins.:14FDR's largest contribution to affirmative action, however, lay in his Executive Order 8802 which prohibited discrimination in the defense industry or government.:22 The executive order promoted the idea that if taxpayer funds were accepted through a government contract, then all taxpayers should have an equal opportunity to work through the contractor.:23–4 To enforce this idea, Roosevelt created the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) with the power to investigate hiring practices by government contractors.:22

question: Who was the true backer of the cause of affirmative action? 

answer: Harold L. Ickes

question: What position of power did Harold L. Ickes hold? 

answer: Interior Secretary

question: The first introduction of a quota system mandated that contractors had to do what? 

answer: employ a fixed percentage of Black workers

question: Which piece of legislation prevented any discrimination in the defense industry and government? 

answer: Executive Order 8802

question: What does the FEPC stand for? 

answer: Fair Employment Practices Committee
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: Following the Sergeant Isaac Woodard incident, President Harry S. Truman, himself a combat veteran of World War I, issued Executive Order 9808 establishing the President's Committee on Civil Rights to examine the violence and recommend appropriate federal legislation. Hearing of the incident, Truman turned to NAACP leader Walter Francis White and declared, "My God! I had no idea it was as terrible as that. We've got to do something." In 1947 the committee published its findings, To Secure These Rights. The book was widely read, influential, and considered utopian for the times: "In our land men are equal, but they are free to be different. From these very differences among our people has come the great human and national strength of America." The report discussed and demonstrated racial discrimination in basic freedoms, education, public facilities, personal safety, and employment opportunities. The committee was disturbed by the state of race relations, and included the evacuation of Americans of Japanese descent during the war "made without a trial or any sort of hearing…Fundamental to our whole system of law is the belief that guilt is personal and not a matter of heredity or association." The recommendations were radical, calling for federal policies and laws to end racial discrimination and bring about equality: "We can tolerate no restrictions upon the individual which depend upon irrelevant factors such as his race, his color, his religion, or the social position to which he is born." To Secure These Rights set the liberal legislative agenda for the next generation that eventually would be signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson.:35–36

question: What group was established in response to Executive Order 9808? 

answer: President's Committee on Civil Rights

question: What was the Executive Order 9808 issued in response to? 

answer: Sergeant Isaac Woodard incident

question: In which year were the "To Secure These Rights" findings published? 

answer: 1947

question: What was the committee especially disturbed by as indicated in their report? 

answer: the state of race relations

question: Who in the generation following the "To Secure These Rights" findings sign legislation for affirmative action into law? 

answer: Lyndon B. Johnson
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: To Secure These Rights also called for desegregation of the Armed Forces. "Prejudice in any area is an ugly, undemocratic phenomenon, but in the armed services, where all men run the risk of death, it is especially repugnant." The rationale was fairness: "When an individual enters the service of the country, he necessarily surrenders some of the rights and privileges which are inherent in American citizenship." In return, the government "undertakes to protect his integrity as an individual." Yet that was not possible in the segregated Army, since "any discrimination which…prevents members of the minority groups from rendering full military service in defense of their country is for them a humiliating badge of inferiority." The report called for an end to "all discrimination and segregation based on race, color, creed, or national origins in…all branches of the Armed Services.":38–39

question: The "To Secure These Rights" findings wanted desegregation of which institution? 

answer: Armed Forces

question: Which risk associated with serving was specifically highlighted by the findings? 

answer: death

question: What did the findings say occurred to an individual when he enters the armed services? 

answer: surrenders some of the rights and privileges

question: Discrimination that prevented minorities from serving their country to the best of their abilities was seen as what? 

answer: a humiliating badge of inferiority
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: In June, Truman became the first president to address the NAACP. His speech was a significant departure from traditional race relations in the United States. In front of 10,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial, the president left no doubt where he stood on civil rights. According to his speech, America had "reached a turning point in the long history of our country's efforts to guarantee freedom and equality to all our citizens…Each man must be guaranteed equality of opportunity." He proposed what black citizens had been calling for - an enhanced role of federal authority through the states. "We must make the Federal government a friendly, vigilant defender of the rights and equalities of all Americans. And again I mean all Americans.":40

question: Who was the first President to address the NAACP? 

answer: Truman

question: How many people were present at the speech that Truman made? 

answer: 10,000

question: Where did Truman's historic speech take place? 

answer: Lincoln Memorial

question: During the speech, Truman made the statement that each man should be guaranteed what? 

answer: equality of opportunity

question: Who's authority did Truman want to increase throughout the states? 

answer: federal
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: On July 26, Truman mandated the end of hiring and employment discrimination in the federal government, reaffirming FDR's order of 1941.:40 He issued two executive orders on July 26, 1948: Executive Order 9980 and Executive Order 9981. Executive Order 9980, named Regulations Governing for Employment Practices within the Federal Establishment, instituted fair employment practices in the civilian agencies of the federal government. The order created the position of Fair Employment Officer. The order "established in the Civil Service Commission a Fair Employment Board of not less than seven persons." Executive Order 9981, named Establishing the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, called for the integration of the Armed Forces and the creation of the National Military Establishment to carry out the executive order.

question: What day did Truman mandate the end of discrimination in the federal government? 

answer: July 26

question: How many executive orders were issued to help prevent discrimination? 

answer: two

question: What was the name given to Executive Order 9980? 

answer: Regulations Governing for Employment Practices within the Federal Establishment

question: Which position was formulated as a result of Executive Order 9980? 

answer: Fair Employment Officer

question: What name was given to Executive Order 9981? 

answer: Establishing the President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: When Eisenhower was elected President in 1952, he believed hiring practices and anti-discrimination laws should be decided by the states, although the administration gradually continued to desegregate the Armed Forces and the federal government.:50 The President also established the Government Contract Committee in 1953, which "conducted surveys of the racial composition of federal employees and tax-supported contractors".:50–51 The committee, chaired by Vice President Richard Nixon, had minimal outcomes in that they imposed the contractors with the primary responsibility of desegregation within their own companies and corporations.:51

question: Which year was Eisenhower elected President? 

answer: 1952

question: Who did Eisenhower believe should be allowed to decide the nature of discrimination laws? 

answer: the states

question: What was established in 1953? 

answer: Government Contract Committee

question: What was the main purpose of the Government Contract Committee? 

answer: conducted surveys of the racial composition of federal employees and tax-supported contractors

question: Who was the chairman of the newly established committee? 

answer: Vice President Richard Nixon
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: In the 1960 presidential election, Democratic candidate and future President John F. Kennedy "criticized President Eisenhower for not ending discrimination in federally supported housing" and "advocated a permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission".:59 Shortly after taking office, Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in March 1961, requiring government contractors to "consider and recommend additional affirmative steps which should be taken by executive departments and agencies to realize more fully the national policy of nondiscrimination…. The contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin".:60 The order also established the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (PCEEO), chaired by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Federal contractors who failed to comply or violated the executive order were punished by contract cancellation and the possible debarment from future government contracts. The administration was "not demanding any special preference or treatment or quotas for minorities" but was rather "advocating racially neutral hiring to end job discrimination".:61 Turning to issues of women's rights, Kennedy initiated a Commission on the Status of Women in December 1961. The commission was charged with "examining employment policies and practices of the government and of contractors" with regard to sex.:66

question: Who criticized President Eisenhower during the 1960 presidential election? 

answer: John F. Kennedy

question: What was John F. Kennedy's criticism of the President based on? 

answer: not ending discrimination in federally supported housing

question: Which order was issued soon after Kennedy took office? 

answer: Executive Order 10925

question: What does PCEEO stand for? 

answer: President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity

question: What was the immediate penalty for a federal contractor for not obeying the executive order? 

answer: contract cancellation
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: In June 1963, President Kennedy continued his policy of affirmative action by issuing another mandate, Executive Order 11114. The order supplemented to his previous 1961 executive order declaring it was the "policy of the United States to encourage by affirmative action the elimination of discrimination in employment".:72 Through this order, all federal funds, such as "grants, loans, unions and employers who accepted taxpayer funds, and other forms of financial assistance to state and local governments," were forced to comply to the government's policies on affirmative action in employment practices.:72

question: When did President Kennedy issue Executive Order 11114? 

answer: June 1963

question: What was the main aim of Executive Order 11114? 

answer: elimination of discrimination in employment

question: What was anyone who received federal funding of any sort required to do under the Executive Order? 

answer: comply to the government's policies on affirmative action
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: The first time "affirmative action" is used by the federal government concerning race is in President John F. Kennedy's Executive Order 10925, which was chaired by Vice President Johnson. At Johnson's inaugural ball in Texas, he met with a young black lawyer, Hobart Taylor Jr., and gave him the task to co-author the executive order. He wanted a phrase that "gave a sense of positivity to performance under the order." He was torn between the words "positive action" and "affirmative action," and selected the later due to its alliterative quality. The term "active recruitment" started to be used as well. This order, albeit heavily worked up as a significant piece of legislation, in reality carried little actual power. The scope was limited to a couple hundred defense contractors, leaving nearly $7.5 billion in federal grants and loans unsupervised.:60

question: Which Executive Order first contained the phrase "affirmative action"? 

answer: Executive Order 10925

question: Who co - authored the executive order? 

answer: Hobart Taylor Jr.

question: Who chaired the committee created by Executive Order 10925? 

answer: Vice President Johnson

question: What was the alternative phrase to "affirmative action" that was being considered? 

answer: positive action

question: What was the main reason that "affirmative action" was chosen over "positive action"? 

answer: alliterative quality
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: NAACP had many problem's with JFK's "token" proposal. They wanted jobs. One day after the order took effect, NAACP labor secretary Herbert Hill filed complaints against the hiring and promoting practices of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Lockheed was doing business with the Defense Department on the first billion-dollar contract. Due to taxpayer-funding being 90% of Lockheed's business, along with disproportionate hiring practices, black workers charged Lockheed with "overt discrimination." Lockheed signed an agreement with Vice President Johnson that pledged an "aggressive seeking out for more qualified minority candidates for technical and skill positions.:63–64 This agreement was the administration's model for a "plan of progress." Johnson and his assistants soon pressured other defense contractors, including Boeing and General Electric, to sign similar voluntary agreements indicating plans for progress. However, these plans were just that, voluntary. Many corporations in the South, still afflicted with Jim Crow laws, largely ignored the federal recommendations.:63–64

question: Who had issues with JFK's proposal? 

answer: NAACP

question: Who filed complaints quickly after the Executive Order was implemented? 

answer: NAACP labor secretary Herbert Hill

question: Which company was targeted by the NAACP for not having fair practices? 

answer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

question: Who did Lockheed sign an agreement with to seek out more minority workers? 

answer: Vice President Johnson

question: Which laws did the corporations in the South associate with in order to ignore the federal recommendations? 

answer: Jim Crow
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: This eventually led to LBJ's Civil Rights Act, which came shortly after President Kennedy's assassination. This document was more holistic than any President Kennedy had offered, and therefore more controversial. It aimed not only to integrate public facilities, but also private businesses that sold to the public, such as motels, restaurants, theaters, and gas stations. Public schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, among other things, were included in the bill as well. It also worked with JFK's executive order 11114 by prohibiting discrimination in the awarding of federal contracts and holding the authority of the government to deny contracts to businesses who discriminate. Maybe most significant of all, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act aimed to end discrimination in all firms with 25 or more employees. Another provision established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as the agency charged with ending discrimination in the nation's workplace.:74

question: Which piece of legislation quickly followed President Kennedy's assassination? 

answer: Civil Rights Act

question: Outside of the private business regulations, what was the other aim of the Civil Rights Act? 

answer: integrate public facilities

question: Which other Executive Order did the Civil Right's Act work closely with? 

answer: 11114

question: What was the purpose of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act? 

answer: to end discrimination in all firms with 25 or more employees

question: What was the goal of the Equal Employment Opportunity C omission? 

answer: ending discrimination in the nation's workplace
Title: Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States
Context: Title VII was perhaps the most controversial of the entire bill. Many conservatives accused it of advocating a de facto quota system, and claimed unconstitutionality as it attempts to regulate the workplace. Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey corrected this notion: "there is nothing in [Title VII] that will give power to the Commission to require hiring, firing, and promotion to meet a racial 'quota.' [. . .] Title VII is designed to encourage the hiring on basis of ability and qualifications, not race or religion." Title VII prohibits discrimination. Humphrey was the silent hero of the bill's passing through Congress. He pledged that the bill required no quotas, just nondiscrimination. Doing so, he convinced many pro-business Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen (IL) to support Title VII.:78–80

question: Which section of the legislation was considered the most controversial? 

answer: Title VII

question: What did critics claim that Title VII advocate? 

answer: a de facto quota system

question: Which Senator fought back against the criticism of Title VII? 

answer: Hubert Humphrey

question: Who was one of the key members that Humphrey managed to convince to support the bill? 

answer: Everett Dirksen

question: What position of importance other than Senator did Everett Dirksen hold? 

answer: Senate Minority Leader