otherwise. So how do we
             reach a "happy medium" so-to-speak? In American political culture, it
             appears as though individualism and egalitarianism are values that find
             themselves on opposite ends of the political battlefield.
             In a complex world of political ideology and political culture are sets
             of values and principles that are widely endorsed by politicians,
             educators, the media and other opinion leaders that make up the
             definition of what is to be American (Feldman and Zaller). Some favor
             the values of individual freedom, especially individual economic
             freedom, over other values, especially equality and popular sovereignty
             (egalitarianism). These people are labeled Conservatives. The other
             side of the spectrum consider themselves as Liberals (Feldman and
             Zaller).Because we live in a meritocracy created by the strong forces
             of capitalism, there is a tendency for people to fall behind either in
             the economy or in the academic community. During the Civil Rights
             movement of 1960's, affirmative action was implemented with the idea
             and hope that America would finally become truly equal. The tension of
             the 1960s civil rights movement had made it very clear that the nations
             minority and female population was not receiving equal social and
             economic opportunity. The implementation of affirmative action was
             America's first honest attempt at solving a problem it had previously
             chose to ignore.The Philadelphia Plan was one of the first major
             vehicles for affirmative action named for the first city in which a
             labor department agreement with federal contractors had been reached.
             "The plan set specific numerical goals for each of the minority
             employment and the availability pool." Labor Department officials
             announced that "because of the deplorably low rate of employment among
             minority groups" in the industry, they would set up similar plans in
             other major...