Posted on 08/30/2005 9:14:42 AM PDT by PurpleMountains
Because of the evils of slavery, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and other African-American leaders have come out in favor of reparations payments. I agree with them. Yes, I agree that African-Americans should pay reparations to the rest of us. The only questions are: how much should be paid and how to apportion the money to descendents of the men and women who freed the slaves. In my case it is going to be a little difficult, because only my grandfather on my father’s side is descended from citizens who were here during the Civil War.
(Excerpt) Read more at forthegrandchildren.blogspot.com ...
love it~!!
I have thought on reparations for a long time and I have come to this conclusion. You show me a former slave in this country, and I will support reparations for that person.
I assume your post was mostly tongue-in-cheek, as I mostly found it funny.
Although I think everyone here agrees that broad based reparations are a joke, I think if someone has evidence of an actual claim that their ancestor were cheated out of because of their slave status, the descendant should get reparations as a successor in interest. For example, if there was a land grant by a master in his will but when the slave went to claim it, the grant was disallowed and the land went to another person. I think that narrow situation is fair basis to receive some sort of reparations for the decedant of the slave.
As for the lives lost in the Civil War and reparations for that 1) their ancestors brought the slaves here, so they created the situation 2) the war didn't begin as a quest to end slavery and 3) although the slaves for the most part were grateful for their freedom, they didn't ask anyone to lay down their lives for their freedom. It was a charitable act by good men. You shouldn't cheapen it by asking to be paid at the end of it.
I met one woman who was sold into slavery as a child. She was a friend of my sister. She was white.
My post was entirely tongue-in-cheek to ridicule the entire idea; I would agree that specific injustices should be dealt with, but it would seem impossible by this time.
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