What is the real reason that blacks will never be repaid for 300 years of free labour?

Question

White people continue to argue well hey i did not own any slaves only my ancestors, therefore blacks don't deserve reparations. Well if thats the case then whats the reason for African American to be denied the 40 acres and a mule they were promised when they were the actual ones who were slaves back then. Thats because this capitalistic society is built off of slave labour and to give the working class of people reperations would totally go against this country's nature and economy. This reperations question is a class question. Free labour is how white americans achieved their status. ifree labour that made us wealthy in the first place. No I was never beaten or lenched ( well beaten by the police for no reason) but the wealth of this nation is built off of slavery. Our current business structure has an owner who makes a fortune and workers who make 7.00 dollars an hour. The slave plantation had an owner and a bunch of slaves who worked invented the cottin gin and sugar refiners.

Answer 1

There ate basically four reasons why:
One, that it would be incredibly expensive. It is estimated that at the beginning of the American Civil War that the population was 24,000,000 of which one third was of the South. Of this one third of the 8,000,000 or approximately 2,600,000 were black slaves. And if you count the ancestors from the time the first ****** were taken from Africa, you would have about 5,000,000 - 6,000,000 all told. If you take a figure of even 5,000,000 at an average(calibrating various times spent by various individuals and generations, you'd arrive at approximately 5 hours labour per day(taking in to account the times individuals spent on part of their lives-labour) at about 30 years. This, being an average of a 250 day year-would work out at 5x250x30 hours:equalling: 37,500 hours per average individual at an approximate, educated guess average. And if, by today's value, even at the minimum wage of about $10 an hour, for a vaguely decent wage: you would arrive at the figure of 375,000 hours multiplied by 5,000,000. This would give you a figure of $1,875,000,000,000 (One Trillion, Eight Hundred and Seventy Five Billion Dollars- US) And if you were to add interest, even simple interest upon monies waited upon-you must realise that every seven and a half years it doubles upon a ten percent interest. Even taking a seven percent interest, which was the general interest rate of the Roman Empire outside Italy, this would give you a doubling rate of every ten years. Given 40 years since even 1867, this is $1,875,000,000,000 x2x2x2x2(16) which would give you:
$29,720,000,000,000. This is a minimum figure of between
$1-875 Trillion and $29-720 Trillion. As you can see this minimum amount is more than the annual United States budget. The maximum amount would take the United decades to accumulate at one hundred percent accumalation over almost 30 years. When I was young the budget of the United States was $100 billion per year and it's total wealth was $3 trillion. If you take an increase in the budget proportion over the years, you have a figure of about 20 to 1 in wealth to budget- approximate. Therfore you have a minimum figure of almost twice the yearly budget and about one and a half times (of approximately $20 trillion) the United States wealth: that is a humungus amount at any definintion. Hence you can see that to strictly fairly compensate that which by justice's right is fairly compensational to the decendents(the rightful heirs) is virtually impossible in the early part of the twenty first century. However, there is a case for some compensation as much of the wealth of the United States was built upon slave labour over centuries.

Secondly, although society as a whole does owe something to the decendents of the slaves, the opportunities given and the general increase in wealth from that which they, their ancestors once had and of which is of the people in that part of the world today, has actually compensated the decendents of slaves. Also there is one supreme tenent of democracy. You see, democracy, has it's existence and price upon one very very important principle-Personal Responsibility. The benifits of person responsibility is that, and this is a major doctorine of law, a person is responsible for THEIR own actions-not the actions of others-be that the actions are of even their own ancestors. Each and every person is responsible for THEMSELVES. To have people accountable for their ancestor's actions would be a betrayal of this basic principle and a gross injustice. And one injustice does not justify another-rather it beconds correction of itself-not an increase in injustice. However, the American society does indeed, in justice's weal, owe some compensation to the heirs of the slaves it exploited. Say, one off personal payment of some money-to clear the air and acknowledge the resolving of a past injustice.

Thirdly, that in the history of humanity, there are tons of examples of injustices. This, unfortunately, is a part and parcel of hisory. There are many peoples who would have claim against various others. However because those who did commit the injustices are dead-others(even THEIR heirs) cannot be called to account. Although there is case for some compensation. The only justice would be, if the heirs of the guilty are continuing to benifit and the heirs of the offended are continuing to be disadvantaged, because of the injustice. But in the wash of history many benfits have also come to the heirs of the offended-including the societies that the heirs of the guilty have made. A sensible and honest calibration must be made. But to try and call to account all these things would be for example: to try and kick the Normans out of England and to find and compensate the Saxons(or their decendents)-and so many have interbreeded. Or we could compensate half of the then known world from Roman times in a claim against Italy. And can you imagine the claims against Mongolia. It would be confusion and flawed justice(because of the mixing and actions and reaction of history) at least. Although there is case for some type of claim and one must correct current injustices and seek redress for that which past injustices affect-it is , in the historical and practical scheme of thing, stupid at best-tyranical at worse.

Fourthly, although our societies-among others-have done great wrong in the past, we have also done great right. For the societies we created, and mostly through our enterprise(both scientific and actively) and the sweat of our brow-have brang great benifit not only on those decendents of the offended living in our societies, but also upon peoples elsewhere. We have given these people freedom, prosperity, opportunity and education beyond the wildest dreams of the wildest medicine men of their era. The lives of even the poorest of these are in comparison to those who lived in the past and those who still live in these countries, as emperors to a pauper. And we have given wealth and benifit to these people. For instance, in my country-Australia-although my ancestors in the past and even in the twentieth century, treated the Aborigines badly, we have given billions over the years to them-given them native title to various lands-and improve their lives greatly -as from the past. Although there are communities without running water ect-and these things must be corrected. So a reason why is because we have gone a long way to correct and make up for these things.

However, before I said that the benifit of personal responsibility is that no person can be called to account for the injustices done by their ancestors or any others. However, there is another side to personal responsibility. The RESPONSIBILITY side of it. Having personal responsibility encumbers us to do two things. One, to make sure that injustices don't happen today. Two, to acknowledge the fact of past injustices and to make appropriate compensation where there is a continuing disadvantage to the rightful heirs to those offended, to correct any unjust situations and to stop having unjust advantages over people because of what happened in the past (or in any context).There are Aboriginal communities without the basic amentities that the rest of society takes for granted. There are decendents of the slaves of whom generations of poverty have made disadvantaged(caused by their original position)-although their are many poor whites for example as well. There is a people in America who used to have use of all the land-who for generations have been disadvantaged. There are peoples of the earth similarly disadvantaged unjustly and continue to be oppressed. The current injustices must be wiped out, people must be given just opportunity(as per a fair selection system based upon everyone being treated the same) and a leg up must be given to people who have been sinking and who have sank into hopeless poverty. For instance education, housing, the necessities and rights be avialble to ALL.

For with this personel responsibility which is the basics of democracy and the thing which most Americans pride themselves on-entails the use of consience and the doing of consience's dictates. Peoples who have the use and excisise of personel responsibility must realise that it means the excisise of MORAL CHOICE. They must one, acknowlege that which is and was and make that which must be in justice-calibrated. Also they must end once and for all any injustices whatsoever. It is not only right to do so, but it is, in the long run, benificial. For moral choices have physical consequence. For the people who have excisise of personal responsibility, of free choice, of freedom in action, of free excisise(and I am talking to you- America-and to the other democracies)-(as well, in the long run to all humanity) -you must act. For the ancient Egyptians had a saying when they called forth an edict. "Let it be written-so let it be done". We know what is morally right(it is written in our minds and our consiences)- so let it be done. Hope this helps.
s

Answer 2

"...40 acres and a mule..."

The government isn't required to keep a promised made by some with no authoirty to do what he promised; ie a general can't dictate state policy.

All the slaves are dead, all the slave owners are dead (with the exception of the modern illegal slave trade). Who should get the money? dead people.

What about the blacks who have white ancestory; most African-American with ancestors predating 1865 do, should they pay or recieve?

What about me, 2 of my direct ancestors fought in the Civil War on the union side, should I get paid by the blacks?

What about the descendents of escaped and rescued Italians, Spaniards and Frenchmen enslaved by the Arabs, do they deserve reperation from Arab-Americans?

It will never happen (hopefully), because it is a pointless event at least 75 years too late.

In modern America few full time employees make minimum wage. Nearly all minimum wage jobs are held by retirees, and students.

{Curiosity}
"well beaten by the police for no reason"
Were you trespassing or resisting arrest in some way? If so, you deserved it whether you called yourself a protestor or not.

Answer 3

It would be pretty tough to identify who should pay and who should get paid. Should all the workers who earn $7 an hour get something? Just the ones with slaves for ancestors? What about the African-Americans whose ancestors came here after 1865 and who suffered racism as well? What about recent arrivals from Jamaica? Their ancestors were slaves too weren't they, although in another country. What about the descendants of Native Americans? Should the descendants of Jews get reparations from companies that did business with Germany? What about the descendants of Armenians and the survivors of genocide in Russia and China? The US stole half of Mexico, including California and Texas. Shouldn't impoverished Mexican-Americans be entitled to reparations? What about the poor who are still in Mexico? In fact, US corporations dominate the globe, and extract resources from every country whil keeping their people in poverty. Don't they all deserve a slice of the pie?

And who should pay? Few businesses that existed during colonial times still exist. And those that do have generally changed hands many times and now belong to large corporations. So if we can identify a company that benefited from slavery, and we decide their stockholders should pay reparations, do we divide the payments up evenly? Or do the descendants of slaves get a pass? What about stockholders whose ancestors didn't come to the US until later? What about stockholders who are Jewish, Armenian, Native American, etc.? Or should we just institute a new tax for this? Who pays?

You see the complications. Slavery was a horror, and will always be a blot on America's history. Racism is a difficult problem we still struggle with. But we can never untangle the injustices of the past. It's better to work to make sure that everyone in todays' world has a fair chance.

I sympathize with your anger. Good luck to you.

Answer 4

I know that not all public schools are equal in educational levels---textbooks and computers etc---and so that situation needs to be repaired. Also, there are laws in several USA states that determine diversity in colleges, and those laws should be in all states, and that is a form of reparation. Everyone is created equal, and we all have the same learning capacities and we should all have the same access to a good education in the USA. That would even out the playing field, so to speak. Also, each white person can pay reparations by NOT practicing discrimination in the workplace, in housing, etc. All Americans are responsible for moving America forward to a better ideal.

Answer 5

You or anyone else that was a slave is no longer alive. If you were not a slave then you do not deserve reparations...You where born a U.S. citizen with all the rights..privledges...opportunities as the rest of us. Quit whining and looking for a handout. Plenty of other groups have had ancestors that werediscriminated against and don't expect something for free....

Answer 6

I'm not African american. I m from the motherland but those who argue that the people who were subjecetd to slavery are dead and therefore there is no need to compensate. I don't have an answer to that myself but one thing is sure. Don't underestimate the mental effects of slavery on the slaves' descendants. Like I said I'm African but there are many of us who have had to deal with a tiny dose of that effect as well. Believe me. And then how you decide to deal with the dose is individual.

Answer 7

Because the comparatively few people who owed/owned them are dead, and too many of the slaveholders were Native Americans.

That's a century and a half ago, move along. Slaves' descendants are making a living like anyone else, according to ability, effort, and education.

Answer 8

This country was not build off of slave labor nor is our current business structure. Move on don't dwell on things you can't change. Are you going to give the country back to the Indians, or California and Southwest to Mexico? What about the Mormons, are you going to give them back vast tracks of land in the Midwest. You could go on for days finding groups that had been opressed. The oppressors and the oppressed are dead, let them lie in peace.

Answer 9

! I'm with Lauren. She's the only one who's got a right to be here by "politically correct" standards (well, half of her, anyway!) Maybe y'all ought to go back to Africa, and the rest of us go back to Europe. There, problem solved, and nobody has to get paid a dime! But wait a minute. What about all the dispossessed Africans and Americans who have to give up all their stuff and boogie back to where they came from? Who's going to pay for that? Let the past go, Dude. We are here and it is now. If you want to avenge your wronged ancestors, make a success of yourself now. Take advantage of all the opportunities that were denied to them and succeed! You know what they say, living well is the best revenge!

Answer 10

You don't want to open that door. Otherwise the descendants of Mandingo tribal people who were enslaved by the descendants of free U.S. blacks in Liberia might want to line up and demand money as well. When the Amero-Liberians start paying reparations to those folks, then the veil of hypocrisy on this issue will be torn forever.

Answer 11

It has nothing to do with the living (the oppressed folks are dead). An argument can be made for almost any group.

Should the descendants of DEAD Union soldiers which aided in liberating African Americans receive reparations????

People should work, go to school, and contribute to society or the nation will go broke.
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