Should the relatives of Slaves be compensated for what their Ancestors endured?

Question

Here in SC there is a matter before our state govenment addressing the fact that the decendents of slaves should be payed a huge sum of money because of what their ancestors endured. I disagree with this because the people who would be getting the $$$ are NOT the ones who were slaves and most of them probably did not even know their ancestor. Your thoughts?

Answer 1

I understand what you are saying, but you must also understand that part the reason why they are in their bad socio-economic spot is because their ancestors were. Wealth is inherited in this country, and therefore so is poverty. Their great-grandparents were forced into poverty, which put their grandparents into poverty, which put their parents into poverty. Unfortunately, that puts many of these people in a position where continued education (social advancement) is only an impossible dream.

Also remember, that much of the wealth that America inherits was built with African and Chinese slaves and the theft of land from the Indians and Mexico. If those crimes had not taken place, you would be a lot less well off. And those people would be a lot better off. It seems a little selfish to say, "Yeah, my anscestors beat, raped, and stole from your anscestors, making me relatively rich and you relatively poor. But enough time has passed so I guess we got away with it. Too bad for you. Now go back and work your 60 hour work week so you can afford used shoes for your child who has no chance of going to college and therefore will contine the circle of poverty."

It is not wrong to try to set things right a little. Although, I question handing out $$$. I'd rather see investments in education in these regions.

Answer 2

The only ones that should be compensated are the direct descendents of the slaves, by the descendents of their actual slaveowners. The state and local governments should not be responsible, nor should the current taxpayers. My biggest worry about this lawsuit is what will be next in the courts. Will families of civil war victims sue? What about any of our founding families that lost loved ones in the freeing of this country? What about the indentured peoples that came from Europe? People wrongly accused of crimes or victims of government zeal? The steps taken for racial discrimination to end may not be enough, the descendents of any slaves are definitely better off than their forefathers. To cap it all off, why is there not a lawsuit against the actual african nations that originally sold these people into slavery in the first place?

Answer 3

No,
Why should I pay for something someone else's ancestors did?
I came to the US in 85, therefore my ancestors never owned slaves, so why do they want to use my tax money to pay some idiot that has been here all his life and is too lazy to get off his rear end and work? Yes, wealth is inherited, and so is poverty, but many people came to the states since slavery was abolished and most of them had no inheritance, only their luggage packed with clothes. None of us had anything to do with what other people's ancestors did to black people two hundred years ago.

Answer 4

This question has been argued for sometime now, and I say No Way. The blacks were not the only slaves in America. Especially in the New England states. There were bond servants, which is just another sugared up word for slaves. They were from the American people themselves, of the poorer class, who sold their own children into forced labor. They had to stay with whoever bought them, until what had been paid for was worked off. I imagine some of them never got out, because they were charged for their room and keep, so instead of paying off the debt, they just got in deeper and deeper. The blacks are always blaming the whites..The truth is, the blame belongs to both white and black. The whites bought them, but their own tribes sold them, so who is really to blame?

Answer 5

No...history if full of oppressed people. It sucks...yes. But, if the people who are looking for compensation for a past grievance get paid...where does it end. And, why should government pay when they staged a war that ended it. Should the families of northern white men who died in the war get compensated by the families of the people that they died to free? Crazy, huh? If people feel strongly enough that their lives would have been better if their ancestors were never forced here..they can board a plane and go back to wherever there ancestor was abducted. I think we should pay for that plane ticket. I think that NOBODY will take that deal...there's no cash in it...and no self-righteousness.

Answer 6

I don't believe that any race, any religion should be given money for pain and suffering that happened so many years ago, times have changed get a life go to work, be respectable, you want respect everyone should have to earn it. You want a better life, work for it, all races need to get off welfare, get off all government aid. Times today government help should be short not continuous just because people are too lazy to get off there ***. My brother and I grew up in the same house, same rules, he was great in school I was a goof off. He went to college I did not. Now, I realize what has to be done,I have a good job, I have a home and a husband, and 2 children, in a nice neighborhood with 2 very good working cars and a dog and a cat and my brother the one everybody though was going places is not going anywhere. Delivers pizza for $5 something an hour lives in a shitty neighborhood, broken vehicle and has been robbed 2 times in the same week while at work. People need to wake up, If you want something you should have to work for it.

Answer 7

No but they should be allow to return the favor. Slavery ended 140 years ago and the people who should have been compensated for that did not. The reason is because of Jim Crow, segregation, hate, oppression and racism from whites who kept them from that 100 years latter. Free blacks were treated worse than they were slaves because of hatred and wasn't even allow to vote in some places even 40 years ago. How could they get compensation then when they would be kill for just talk about white people. 50 years ago Emmett Till was kill at age 14 for whistling at a white woman.

But if your really concern with injustice you should look at the ones who kept them from compensation from 1865 to 1965. Then after white people kept them from compensation 100 years after slavery they say "those people are all dead" because they know very well that's what they wanted to do, wait until they were dead. EX Jews got paid over $700 million in reparations for the murders of 6 million Jews, if the 6 million Jews who suffered are dead, why pay the survivors. They did because it the fact that Germany had to pay for the crime it committed. The Germans and the Ancient Egyptians all had to pay for what one man did even though they did no wrong.

My thoughts are and I think we ALL can agree giving blacks equal rights just 40 years ago do not offset 400+ years of oppression which includes slavery and segregation, against the Black race. Saying were even because THEY think they allowed us freedom do not wipe away centuries of millions murders, lynching, rapes, explotation and oppression even. Giving freedom to todays blacks do not give justice to the one who died invain.

Other will point out that others in history didn't get paid or complian about what has happen to them. Like the Indians, Jews, Hebrews, and Irish etc. Eventhough they did but not sure about the Irish, but lets pretent they did not get compensation. So does that justify the crime committed against the Black race because it "happen" to others at some point or another. If they can use " it happens" to justify crimes will they still feel the same way when people kill, rape, oppress and lynch todays whites who believe like this? And the people who do this to whites would they say "you can't punish us because these crime happen all the time and go unpunish so we should be able to do it to white people and get away with it." I don't think so, it not because blacks want something it the simple fact that no one never paid for the crimes committed against the black race. And the nation who committed the crime is not dead!

Answer 8

I don't think half the black in the state can trace their family tree anyway ,But I can my mother was born on an platation including her brother and sister we have some family that was born 1789
so I could trace my family and know the grave sites or my family
But I don't want any problem and I don't think we should be giving money it done and over with forget it and fight for the young that is here in the Present they are so confuse and welfare was another way of keeping the ex slave children down it who want to be on welfare it so disrespectful and Shameful.
No they don't get any 40 ac and an mule with the KKK around who could live on that land with fire going around and killing from the white

Answer 9

Why not?
And then I can go to the Supreme Court with a bunch of my friends and prove that we are all descendents of the first Irish that came over on the boat. Then we will demand that everyone that turned the Irish away and made them servants pay us a dividend because of what our great great grandparents went thru. Then,....
I'll get some different friends of mine and prove how we also are descendents of the Germans, the same Germans that went thru a bunch of bs during WWII...ok...
then, we will ...
well, hell, lets just all call it EVEN!!!!
What a bunch of balarny, bs, crapola !!! The descendents of the slaves of this country already recieve more than what they even work for! Right now, ...minorities have become the majority!!!

Answer 10

Ask yourself should victims of the holocaust be compensated? Oh wait they already are......I think any atrocity that is brought upon a group of people, someone this generation or the next should be held accountable. Native Americans were even "compensated"......endless land mass dwindled down to only reservations.....clearly thats not compensation. They are decendants not relatives, just as Im sure that your decendants were just as backwards in their thinking as you. You are asking this from a state thats still wishes to have the confederate flag swaying from the captial building.