Should African Americans recieve reperations? Why?

FREAKZILLA

they do everyday in the form of grants , scholarships , affirmative action and the ability to be racist without anyone accusing them . welfare seems to be a pretty good form of reparations nowadays .

Justsyd

They have received reparations regarding civil rights. Society has paid them for their suffering. The laws have changed, we have overcome the damage, and are moving toward a more balanced society.

No, nobody that is living today was a slave or slave owner. How would you decide who gets what and who gives what?

scolex89

should indians recieve all there land back? maybe but it would be impractical and the ones around today aren't the same ones who lost their land in the first place. the same goes for reparations. but it's always fun to try to get strangers to buy you stuff for reparations :D

asdfjkl;

Why is this question asked so often? I didn't even realize it was an issue.

How do we know who is responsible? Spain traded guns and silk to Africa in exchange for human lives. The humans who were exchanged were either war captives or criminals and were already slaves in Africa! Now we have more than one group of people responsible for slavery. Does anyone look at Africa and say "How could you trade human lives for a gun and a silk suit?"
I am white, and my family was not even here when slavery existed. Funny enough, my husband is part black and part white. His white ancestors owned slaves and his black ancestors were slaves. So who would pay the reparations? Would he pay them to himself?
It would not be possible(of affordable) to track down every slave owner through his/her ancestors and it wouldn't be fair to make people who have nothing to do with it pay for it.
Lastly, has anyone alive today ever owned a slave or been a slave? I didn't think so.
Today, looking back, we can tell slavery was not a good idea. But during the time frame it took place, it was not frowned upon. A LOT of countries have owned slaves (yes, even Africa!!) and paying reparations is not going to help. The best thing we can do for humanity is to not make the same mistake twice.

Monster J

I'd agree to paying reparations if they agree to going back to Africa.

*~BETHY~*

No, why can't people move forward? Why is it always about money? And everyone says that Republicans are greedy!? Huh!!!

david n

My family is Irish, how about some reparations for me?

idirtysanchezu

no. cuz if they do, then america would owe native americans, mexicans, the list goes on and on. so again the answer is no.

First Lady

No. What would be the purpose? Would it cure racism? No. Would it make this country better? No. Would it make the races get along better? No. Would it make education better? No. Would it really change anything? No. No one alive today knows truly what it was like to be a slave or to own a slave.

parrotsarenoisy

NO!! they are not in slaved anymore! if any one should received reparations it should be the Indians do you know a lot of them are still forced to live on a reservation?? how would you like that?? black people need to stop crying over something that happen a long time ago. black have just as many rights as white people in some cases even more. so how many generations do you want to still punish?? And did you forget how many white men died to set them free?? i think we have more than paid for that in alot of ways!!

Aztec276

Yes. Anyone who is alive today who was a slave should get money.

Slavery ended in the 1860's. It's over. Get over it. Most of the white people who came to America were dirt poor, and many came as virtual slaves via indentured servitude.

Nobody alive today had anything to do with slavery.

-Aztec276

Manny

Yes, but it should be from the West African warlords that sold them in the first place. Good luck collecting.

Consider this, w/o slavery, 99% of the black folks alive today in the western hemisphere would have been born in west Africa. VERY few people in west Africa today is better off than ANYbody in the US, including the poorest of the poor on our shores. The only ones close are the peoples of Haiti and few other places in the Carribean.

L J

Hell no my God what a quagemire that would be and the chief's of the tribes sold their own people, hand outs no way

regerugged

No. Their ancestors did not pay the shipping charges to get to the US originally. It seems to me that money is owed with interest.

hmmm...

No, Because I didn't own them so I am not paying them.

1 kidney boy

So much of this country was built on the backs of slaves. But how can you put a cash value on robbing people of their heritage and forcing them to work for a nation that barely values them as people.

The US can't give out money and say "Hey we're cool now right?"

Plus the US could never afford it anyway. Plus they would have to make the same deal with Native Americans. So these groups are deserving, but it is impractical to think something is going to be done.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: