Affirmative Action Origin
When John F. Kennedy became the first U.S. president to use the phrase “affirmative action,” what operative term did he use to explain it?
Correct Answer
In a 1961 executive order, Democrat President John F. Kennedy became the first U.S. president to use the phrase “affirmative action.” Three times in this order, Kennedy instructed the government to make hiring, firing, and contracting decisions “without regard” to race. In contrast, he made no mention of diversity, equity, or inclusion. Reiterating this in a 1963 speech, Kennedy said that “race has no place in American life or law.” Turning these facts on their head, the ACLU claims that Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson was the first person to use the term “affirmative action” in 1965. Unlike Kennedy, Johnson insisted that “freedom” and “equal opportunity” are “not enough” to remedy past discrimination and that government must dictate “equal” results for people of different races. In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-based university admissions violate the U.S. Constitution, which requires “equal protection of the laws” for every person, not equal results.
















