Do you think that African Americans deserve reparations for slavery?

Question

I do.

If so what kind of reparations

Answer 1

This question was posted awhile back and I said No but now after such bitter answers from the two above,I will say yes!
African-Americans do deserved reparations regardless of the incompetence of others who say present or future inheritors and generations don't deserved. Racism still exist today. Blacks may not be in invisible shackles or chains of bondage but we are still bounded by whites in economically,classicism,and religion etc... I just pray that we don't splurge the money on materialistic things and be laughed at for our wastefulness. You must realized that the money will go back to the ones who ancestors that have enslaved our past generations. As for myself, if I was to receive this money, I would buy a piece of land nd build a house so that my son will have a place for him if something was to happen to me.

Answer 2

Whether or not they "deserve" reparations is not a terribly useful question, any more than whether I deserve compensation because my ancestors suffered during the Potato Famine in Ireland. A more worthwhile question is, Who is going to pay for it?

The idea is, slaves suffered (that's kind of obvious and I don't think anyone is going to argue about it). If a group of people were treated like that today, they'd be able to file a class-action lawsuit against whoever was responsible, and win what would undoubtedly amount to a multi-trillion dollar settlement. Since no living person was a slave, their descendents should get this money on their behalf, right?

But from whom? Most of the obvious defendants, those who made tons of money off of slavery, had their fortunes wiped out by some guys named Grant and Sherman. For the rest, you'd have to trace every cent back thourgh 150 years of wills, estates, and probate courts to find out who, exactly, "owes" you money right now.

Unless you were thinking that the U.S. Government should pay you. That's a great solution, except that our government doesn't actually have money. What they have is taxes that they collect from Americans. Do you really think that someone who moved here from Kenya last year "owes" the descendants of slaves? Because if the government makes a reparation payment, it'll be money that would otherwise go into that person's Social Security fund. It means every American, no matter who their ancestors were, will spend the next 50 or 100 years paying you over what somebody else's ancestors did.

You wanna try and make a tax that applies only to those whose ancestors were white Confederates? I've got an idea, you could just round up all these people, and make them work for the descendants of slaves, but without paying them!
(If you think for even one fraction of a second that that is a good idea, then I have as much respect for you as I have for Ben [see below].)

Answer 3

Yes and No. Yes, in theory they should. However, how would that be enforced, and what kind would be a big decision. Money.... i don't think so. And there are so many waits that the government has already begun to favor african americans, ie affirmative action. Is that not just another form of racial segration?! And if african americans are going to get repartations for slavery, then all Jews should get reparations for the holocaust and all pageans reparations for the spanish inquisition, all native americans reparations for the massacres....etc, etc, etc.....everyone everywhere deserves reparations from someone in someway.

Answer 4

no. not everyone has family records that go all the way back to slavery. how will one decide who receives reparations or not? That would be a huge mess. And who pays for reparations? the spanish and french had slaves here too so would they have to contribute to the reparations?. would other countries who also had slavery have to pay reparations to their people of african descent? this could just develop into a bigger problem. all that said, im in favor of a memorial being established recognizing those who were slaves.

Answer 5

No, I don't cause history also shows it was the African's that first sold their own kind into slavery. So if anyone should pay anything for it, then you should be mad at the ones who sold them.

And I don't know of any living African American that was a slave... Haven't they all died. So why should you get reparations for something you didn't even go through?

By the way I also think ALL races should be treated equal. We are all human beings.

Answer 6

Although slavery was a horrible thing anybody had to go through, I do not believe African Americans should get any special treatment. Because it would not remedy the situation, it would reverse the roles in the sense that whites would be the slaves. It doesn't remedy the problem. However, by freeing the slaves, and giving them rights, shows equality while special treatment doesn't solve anything.

Answer 7

Monetary reparations would be a slap in the face to the hard-working proud race that is Black America. Our ancestors are owed the respect and dignity most of them did not get while they were alive. But to put a price on that respect and dignity is to demean them. It would mean a different kind of slavery when apologies and regrets are paid for and not given freely.

Answer 8

yes they should have all the money from the insurance companys as they are the richest in the world and they used contract slaves tobuild their buildings and that should pay off all the fund in one day .. however should someone whoes caucasian or asian or native whoes folks didnt own slaves or got here after the slave war was over should they help pay those funds hmmm or if the relative helped runa stop on the underground railroad should they pay or if they lost a relative in the civil war fighting the south should they pay most of the whites down south couldnt afford a slave it was like buying a huge tractor or combine todays price would be like 250,000 for a farm hand but there was 2 million slaves in the 1860 census and about one tenth whites in the south like 200,000 and the number of slave owners then maybe only a tenth of that by reason of cost 20,000 now howmany have died off maybe a forth didnt survive the war and so 15,000 owe the 2 million a huge fortune now i know thats a freaky way to see it as slaves where transported towork in almost every country and state but thats what bothers me everyone is blamed for slavery and most wernt here not then ,,, a lot of emigrants came over after the civl war and the irish like my family joined the union to fight the south and also im part hispanic from the old country and also cherokee

Answer 9

No.

I am Jewish and do not feel I need special reparations from Germany for the Holocaust.

Besides, the US has taken steps to help Black Americans succeed: Minority Scholarships, Equal Employment Opportunities, etc.

The opportunities are there for young Black Americans with heart to succeed in society.

Answer 10

Sure.

Anyone who was a slave should be paid farm wages for the time he worked minus food, housing, transportation to the greatest nation on earth and all of the other expenses it cost the slave owner.

There were less than 5,000,000 slaves in the whole U.S. and you would have to prove what percentage of your ancestry were slaves and how much was due to them.

Then, subtract any welfare, medicare or other handouts that you got from this country.
Then, subtract the cost of housing anyone in your lineage that was in jail or prison (1 out of every 4 black men). They should also be forced to pay back what they stole.
All the Katrina victimes that were black should pay back any handouts they got from the U.S. because they sure wouldn't have gotten it in Africa.
Whoever's family owes the U.S. something because their account is negative should be forced to pay and be sent back to Africa.

No other racial group cries and whines like some people in yours.
You have some good leaders. Listen to them and quit looking for more free handouts.

I am sorry that you split with your husband after having kids. But, it is kind of stereotypical, don't you think? How much does welfare pay you?

Answer 11

They already have affirmative "blacktion" working for them, they get preferential treatment and scholarships and the "right" to say "the white man is out to get me!" whenever something bad or unfortunate happens to them. I didn't own any slaves, my family wasn't from the south and no one alive today was a slave. Why should we pay them for something that happened almost 200 years ago!? Yes, I am sorry about what happened and I don't think slavery was right, but you have to understand that EVERY RACE HAS BEEN ENSLAVED AT ONE POINT IN HISTORY. Let's just call it even, ok?