does america owe black people an apology?

Question

we all know the issue of slavery and it seems white people would rather ignore the fact that it happened or belittle black people for continuing to talk about it. forget repartaions and the ilk, based solely on fact, does america owe them an apology for it's wrongs

first let me say that i don't have an opion one way or the other i just wanted to hear what others had to say, and i don't believe writing checks to people will help anything either. however there is a bill being drafted in congress on this very issue and America has never really addressed the race issue, and vietnemese were paid reparations for the wrongs done to them. anyway this is a great forum and i'm glad so many ppl responded

some of the comments left by obviously white ppl or way off base and a part of the reason why this country is in shambles, you have a lame duck president and a captilistic society where even white ppl are crapped on don't care, chris rock said it best, there isn't a white man in this country that would trade places with him, and he's rich.....typical responses and it's so sad, we should learn to love eachother, and it's a gross misstatement to say we should be thanking yall for coming here, i think i might prefer Africa, and before someone says well go back there, why don't yall go back to Europe where you were escaping the plague and retribution before you down black people

Answer 1

no apology, we do owe ourselves and ALL Americans and
the world in general, a colorfree society -- where we are all
blind to the hue of our fellow human beings

Answer 2

No, it was over two hundred years ago. You did not suffer slavery, and no White today held any Blacks slaves. It seems Blacks like to make themselves feel special and demand apologies all the time, and no apologies will ever be given. You need to grow up and realize that Black people weren't the only slaves in history. Everyone living today is a descendant of a slave. So STOP complaining. Most Blacks complain because they live in the ghetto, and White people are easy to blame. But those Blacks are the only ones at fault because they care less about school, as has actually been proven at many school testing, and then they deal drugs and be gansters, then complain they can't get money. Gee, I wonder why? It's not White people's fault, it's Black people.

Answer 3

I think black people owe America and the American people an apology because they are destroying this country!

Answer 4

Good question... No, the americans do not owe blacks an apology, for blacks are americans also... Who it is that does need to apologize to the ones of those times are the Europians, for letting Christopher Columbus ever be born... And the others who need to apologize are those that had the retarded and decadent notion to take boats to Africa and come back with slave ships... As far as I know, it was the europians, english, and spaniards that allowed for the boats to travel, and when christopher landed here on american soil, he thought he was on the shores of India, but behold, chris being retarded n all, landed here and brought on a whole lot of slavery, not just the africans of that time but also alot of indians, of which are now regarded to as Native americans. And that brought alot of death and loss for the Natives... And from experience, I know that there are way more racist whites than there are racist blacks, but as concerning an apology, the ones who owe the apology to blacks, and natives, are all dead except for the ones who are still ignorant eough to even speak racistly in negative terms... And there are alot of racist Natives also, who need to stop being racist cuz the ones in which they for some reason should think they still need to be angered at, are all dead, besides the governmental agencies that feel they should still take from the natives,, but to be racist about it is redundant and decadent... Yet racism is still such a large a problem! There are too many ignorant people that don't see we all bleed the same, we all have emotions, and when we cut open flesh, is it not all the same underneath? We all have the capacity to understand; for those who arent too dumb and self centered to learn; that; "No one can make us feel an emotion we do not allow them to"... Racism is a very decadent thing... And Slavery consists of more than just the blacks and natives, were not china men and there people brought to america to be forced to build the railroads?!!! Slavery has been around for centuries, the egyptians, chinese, africans, natives, and more nationalities than i can count have all been apart of it... So, those who need to apologize are the ones still holding onto the notion that racism should even be considered... It was not america when it was all started, it is america now, with all nationalities on the same soil, fighting for the same country... Yes, it "happened", past tense, think of the Future, for that is what the kids need to think about so that they can hopefully one day fix the problems of our modern government and societies.... Peace...

Answer 5

The only way that white Americans owe an apology for slavery is if the black Americans apologize for slavery. Yes there were black slave owners. They were very well to do. They owned plantations etc and used the slave labor. A lot of the black slave owners were much worse than the white ones. A little piece of history that is not broad casted.
http://americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm

Answer 6

I am sure many a racist people will answer this question and say that they owe us an apology.
But whatever people. I think that we shouldn't have to take responsibility for what people in the past did. You can't apologize to a race for something YOU SPECIFICALLY never did.
We could all leave it behind and no one would really care.
In my opinion it would look really stupid if you went up to a black person and told them that you were sorry for slavery. Lol. Stupid indeed... Especially because that specific person had nothing to do with it.

Answer 7

I have never wronged a black person, and I will not apologize for anything. Are you aware of the fact that most slave traders were black Africans. Maybe blacks owe blacks an apology. Through out history many, many, many races of people have been wronged by other races. What people need to do is get over it and move on with their lives.

Answer 8

NO, they should be thanking us. Here's why, the highest living standard and most happiness blacks have ever achieved in history was when they were slaves in the old south. They had everything taken care of for them, suitable quarters to live in, three square meals every day, and someone to watch over them. Life was good and many ex-slaves said so when they were interviewed many years ago. Slavery wasn't like it is portrayed in the movies. Slaves were very expensive and their owners knew that in order to get the most work out of them they would have to treat them decently and make sure they were healthy and reasonably happy. Otherwise, they would run off or try to kill their owners.

Black Americans should be grateful that their ancestors were brought over here, in Africa, the expected life span is, what, something like 35 years? They have AA, set asides, all black colleges, black shcolarships, etc., yet they continue to whine and DESTROY, DESTROY, DESTROY.

Answer 9

Why would black people in America go back to Africa? STUPID and ignorant!!! The only ones that could be considered Africans were brought here and enslaved. Their children (and each generation that has followed) are AMERICANS.

Slavery was and always will be evil. Do the whites of today owe the blacks of today an apology? No, but a tad of humility wouldn't hurt.

Answer 10

I personally think that slavery was a horrible thing. And I would apologize for it, for the fact that it happened and I would apologize for the people that did it. But really. No one is still alive from that time period. I myself did not keep anyone in slavery so I don't really see why I should be forced to keep trying to apologize for something I had no hand in.

Answer 11

An apology yes, but money to relatives of slaves... I don't believe so. Besides..money would not change what happened. I think that yes, America owes them an apology..probably even a public apology. But you know what...it wasn't the current government that made those laws...just as it wasn't the living black people that were slaves. So apologizing to their ancestors is kind of beside the point don't you think..and they would merely be apologizing for what their ancestors did..not for anything they've done.