Why do some black americans complain about reparations for their ancestorial slavery when...?

Question

all races have been slaves at one point or another? If i traced my family back far enough, i am pretty sure I could find my family being a slave at one point.

3rd respondant, white man who was raised in a black neighborhood, i have only had black friends as my best friends. Now if you excuse me, I have acutal answers to read

sorry, i meant 4th respondant in my added details above

Answer 1

Why does a bitter white man have a black avatar? There are so many unanswerable questions...

Answer 2

Reparations for slavery are impractical at best, partly because slavery was not illegal in many states until well after the end of the Civil War, partly because there is a statute of limitations on most crimes, and there weren't any statutes for civil rights abuses until the 1960s.

However, I believe if somebody murdered your relative in the 20th Century and you can prove it, then even if there was a trial at the time and the defendant was acquitted because of judge/jury bias or arcane state laws, then one could claim compensation against the state in which the crime was committed. It would only apply to murder, though, due to the statutes of limitations on other crimes.

This issue first came up when Haiti hit up France for reparations. But that was a totally different situation. France actually made Haiti buy its independence after it had already won it. Haiti simply asked for a refund of the money it had to pay France to ward off future invasions and occupations. Coincidentally, most of that money ended up in the pockets of Louisiana plantation owners (most of the US was still French territory at the time), who complained that the revolution in Haiti had made their slaves "lazy and rebellious".

Answer 3

I've answered this question too many times to count, so all I'll do this time is offer you information from a very interesting website that outlines the difference between your relatives who were slaves, and black slaves in the Americas

For one thing, slavery in the classical and the early medieval worlds was not based on racial distinctions. In ancient times, slavery had nothing to do with the color of a person's skin. In ancient Rome, for example, the slave population included Ethiopians, Gauls, Jews, Persians, and Scandinavians. Unlike seventeenth, eighteenth, or nineteenth century Europeans, the people of the ancient world placed no premium on racial purity and attached no stigma upon racial mixture. Ancient societies, however, did tattoo, brand, or mutilate their slaves as a symbol of their debased status.

Apart from its racial basis, another distinction between modern and ancient slavery was that the ancient world did not necessarily regard slavery as a permanent condition. In many societies, slaves were allowed to marry free spouses and become members of their owners' families.

A third key difference between ancient and modern slavery was that slaves did not necessarily hold the lowest status in pre-modern societies. While we today draw a sharp distinction between slavery and wage labor, such a distinction was largely non-existent in the world of classical antiquity and slaves could be among the wealthiest or most influential people in a city

Answer 4

I agree with Slese, if any black american can prove they were a slave in this country, we should give them a monthly check. But since slavery in this country ended 142 years ago, I don't think there will a line to accept the deal.
For all the ones today that yell they should get money because their ancestors might have been slaves........shut up! Stop trying to get a free ride off the taxpayers back! Shut up, go get a job, and support yourself!
We, hard working, tax paying Americans don't owe you a thing!

Answer 5

I thought the losers are the ones who pay reparations? After war, the country that lost usually pays some kind of reparations.

The Union won, the South should pay reparations when they lost. Maybe in terms of land. But the US sent former slaves to Liberia for those that wanted to go. A country in Africa created to help repatriate former slaves.

Answer 6

Good question. I am white and my ancestors came to the United States during the Irish potatoe famine. They were here as endentured servants, "a fancy word for white slaves". This family line ended up in southern portion of the US and became prominent farmers who owned several hundred slaves on their farm. As a result of the civil war my ancestors lost their farm and had to free their slaves.
In this era slaves were sold like livestock, yes this is horrible, but that was how it occurred. If the slaves decendants are entitled to reperations are the decendants of the slave owners also entitled to reperations due to the loss of their investments??

Answer 7

I dont understand why... It was sad what our ancestors did.. But the sufferage gave way for the generation of now to benefit.. Slavery is history here in Amercia and we have learned from it. Now black Americans have the same opportunity as anyone else and sometimes even more so with affirmative action.. It is now up to them to do their best and succeed so their ancestors didnt suffer in vein.. By not doing so they are enslaving themsleves into poverty...

Answer 8

They dwell upon it so that they can get away with things. We won't touch a black person because we feel sorry that they used to be slaves. Also free money. I think they dwell on it too much. Dwelling on it will not change the past! They need to undestand that.

Answer 9

oh yes, especially when there is so much money to spend on the Iraqis petrodollars and the President are giving away hard cash as much as USD12billion like nobody's business these days.

Answer 10

The key here is Americans and complain.

Face it we have devolved into a nation of wooses. Out of 300 Mil only 500K have the b*ll* to join the Army.

Complain sure why not if there is nothing else to do.

Go big Red Go