In preparation to engage in a Socratic Seminar, have students read two sources, both about the Philadelphia plan. 

• Excerpts from the U.S. Department of Labor memorandum regarding The Philadelphia Plan, June 27, 1969
• Excerpts from the Senate Debate on the Philadelphia Plan, December 1969

After the seminar, lead a reflection in which students answer the following questions:

• In what ways did the Philadelphia plan build on the successes of the civil rights movement?
• What were the critiques of affirmative action? To what extent were these critiques valid?
• To what extent was the Philadelphia plan equitable and fair?