Y do Blacks in America today, still hold White people in America responsible for what happened 200 years ago?

Question

Especially when slavery began with African kings selling their own people to the Arabs, then the Portugese, Peru, France, Spain, Great Britain and Brazil. The earliest slaves were mainly girls sold to Northern Africa! So, as an Irish-Scottish American w/ parents, grandparents and great-grandparents who never owned a slave, why should I be judged at all? Why are "my people" to blame for the atrocities of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries?

Wow. Lots of hostility here. Sry, Im new. Didn't know this question was asked so often. My question is based on an interview of a Black Panther member who has decided that any caucasian should take responsibility for the suffering blacks have endured over the past. This just made my blood boil. I didn't realize he had so many in party to his beliefs, right here on Yahoo Answers.

$.02- I think you need a history lesson!

Female African slaves sold to the Arabs were raped repeatedly! Males of the Ottomans were castrated! The Romans fed their slaves to pets and set them on fire if they disobeyed. You are calling this humane??

Answer 1

"Perhaps when the Constitution no longer mentions that Blacks are equivalent to 3/4 of a man, then some of us will stop holding Whites responsible."

Good God, where do you people come up with this nonsense? Is this what they teach you in school nowadays, or did you read this at one of those crazy "Afrocentric" sites that claim black people used to fly and built the pyramids before whitey took their powers away? Since you probably don't understand what I'm saying, here's a clue for you: the Constitution doesn't say anything of the sort and never did.

Answer 2

Whether or not you want to believe me, most blacks do NOT agree with the man who holds all whites responsible. So the very premise of your question is based on a wild generalization based off the words of ONE person.

You note your ETHNICITY as a reason your family should not be held at fault for slavery. While again, most blacks DO NOT fault you for slavery, you DO have benefits that come with your RACE. If we were still in slavery times, you would be able to walk free and even OWN slaves because of your color.

Also, I would contend with your historical interpretation of slavery, but I fear it would take up too much space.

Answer 3

Heck, most of us weren't even alive then! And for a lot of us, our ancestors were in Europe, doing whatever people were doing in Europe in those days, not being southern slave drivers.

However, there is another element. Many black people are poor today compared to their white counterparts because they have less in the way of inherited wealth, because their parents were also poor, etc. There's no denying the whites I knew when I was a young adult were getting significantly more money from home than the blacks, and the primary reason was the amount of money the parents had. (Actually, my mom was one of the poorer ones who sent what she could anyway, and doubtless sacrificed more than I know about at the time.)

Of course, in the "hippie" era, many of us were getting money to stay away from home and not embarrass our parents with our funny clothes and long hair (males) and the reputation for doing all sorts of drugs.

So if you start out with a mama and papa who can pay for college, give you a loan to buy your house, maybe to start a business of your own, then you are ahead in many ways. Poor kids can do it, too, by dint of their own hard work and talent, but it is indeed harder.

And statistically, the proportion of poor people who are black vs. those who are white is enough to convince me that this is at least partly a remnant of slavery days, with less "old money" going around for blacks than for whites. Not that there is none, but we all have to admit there is less. If you have to pay your way through college, and you have to live cheap in an apartment because buying a home takes too much in down payment, and all of that, you simply do not have as many options, as many opportunities.

Poor people often are not hired just because they cannot dress well and arrive for the interview looking like they don't even need the salary. In the end, it is economics.

Answer 4

I don't hold modern day whites [in america] responsible for slavery; I think that most black people would agree with me.

The institution of slavery, is the main reason why racisim exists today. So as a black person, I blame slavery for racism, but I do not blame those who had nothing to do with slavery, and I blame no person living today for slavery.

And yes, African tribes DID sell their own people to white men [as well as others] HOWEVER, the people that were sold were often captives and criminals who were not only sold to whites but to other african tribes. Those African kings and tribes who sold there people to whites who then enslaved them, aren't responsible for slavery either. The only ones that can be blamed are the slave owners and those who upheld the institituion of slavery.

Answer 5

Because you and I are still enjoying the benefits that our ancestors providied for us. For example, my family still has family heirlooms from the 1600's. If you have money it is easier to maintain your social status. My dad's side of the family has always been well educated and has passed down money and antiques. Is it that they have worked hard and that is why I am middle class and obtaining a masters degree? Possibly, but most likely not. Its easier to make money when you have it especially when the world is working in your favor. So on one hand you perhaps didn't own slaves, but you have definitely had an advantage because of your heritage. That being said, its really easy to say that you had nothing to do with slavery, but most of the dominant culture really isn't trying to make up for what has happened. For example, we sit very comfortable in our middle class homes not hungry and wearing clothes and then to be grateful perhaps we donate a coat for Chrismas or buy some canned food.

Answer 6

The vast majority of Americans are decended from people who came over by the millions at the end of the 1800. After slavery was long abolished.
The plantation owners who had slaves were very few. Our great grandparents would gladly have traded places with the plantation slaves. At least slaves were valuable. In Europe, common people were expendable nothings to the nobility. Slaves were well fed, while starvation was taken for granted in early Europe.

Answer 7

I necessarily don't blame the whites of today, but I do blame your ancestors. I find it hard for most blacks to succeed in America as a result of slavery through the Civil Rights Movement, with whites doing everything to prevent that by threatening and trying to kill us. Whites really didn't start treating blacks with a little respect until the mid 70s in most places. Everyone is affected by how they are raised, if your parents, grandparents and great grandparents never had the opportunity to really succeed due to white oppression then your affected by the way they brought you up. If you think about it whites have only been treating blacks right about 30 years, believe it or not that's not really a long time. You can't really expect a race to fix all their problems in one generation. It would be nice, but its impossible. Even today you see how blacks are still discriminated against by some whites. When I back to what my people were before slavery and what we have become. I can't help but to whites in the past responsible for what happened to blacks.

Answer 8

We don't blame you for what happened. We don't think you should have to apologize. What burns me up is when white people judge black people and point out all of our problems and failures and never take in consideration that we've had to build ourselves up from the trenches.

It's only been just 60 years since we've had the ability to go to schools and get good jobs so don't compare us with our white counterparts who have had a head start advantage of several centuries. What angers me is when people assume that it's so easy to go from nothing to something. It isn't. It will take years for us to become successful and self-sufficient.

It's not that we're inherently stupid or inferior, it's just we've never had the opportunities up until the mid 1900's to really be something special. Thus our parents, who are the descendants of the working class, could not adequately assume the role of an in-house teacher or even an empowerment coach. They were too busy keeping their head above water.

For a long time, we fell for the lies. That we would never amount to anything. Some of us still believe that. And we hated ourselves and asked God why he would allow us to endure so much. So instead of lifting up our fellow brother, we are the most divided racial group in America. Why? Because we'd been hated and oppressed for so long, we didn't know how to love. Not even ourselves. And if it came between one man's freedom or someone else, he wouldn't give it another thought.

So, again, we don't expect you all to apologize. We just want people to stop judging us and give us the opportunity to prove ourselves. We're so mush more than hip hop artists and basketball players, we are unique and unequivocally-talented individuals. And if you'd believe in us more and had higher expectations for us, maybe we'd start believing in ourselves and start exceeding our own expectations.

Answer 9

you need to do a lot of studying. Slavery as it existed prior to slavery in the US was nothing like what American chattel slavery was. There is no way that African's who sold other Africans into slavery would have known what white people where going to to do. Here are a few differences between slavery and American chattel slavery:

1. Slaves had names, were seen as Human, and treated as such. There were laws protected the slave against abuse from his master.
2. slaves had families, they could get married, and slave families were not broken up.
3. a slave was ofetn permitted to have a job outside of his masters house and ultimately could save money to buy his freedom.
4. slavery was not based on race.

Not until slavery came to the US dd it become so unusually cruel and inhumane, and for that only white people are to blame.

Answer 10

I think the crimes committed to "Blacks" were by people who call thereself white. Think of the logic in your question that your last sentence states: Why are "my people" to blame for the atrocities of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries? After 200 years you try to make it seem that those atrocities just drop off?


Truth of the matter is America is to blame the people who committed the crimes just happen to have what they call white skin. Egypt put Israel into bondage over 2000 years ago, just because it was 2000 years ago do not mean it didn't happen.

The great thing about history is you can't change it, people can do what your trying to do, cover it up, change it, are lie about it. But you can't change it.