Slavery contributed uncompensated manual labor to the building of America but it can’t be said that it “built” it. Other factors such as the technological innovation, capital investment, managerial and accounting professions, educational institutions, religious universities, abundant natural resources, protection from foreign invasion, and a host of other factors were the real builders of America’s wealth. Outside the deep South there was no significant contribution from African slave labor although much of the expansion of the West was built by Asian slave labor.
The entire issue of reparations is designed to inflame resentment and race conflict and would not begin to address the important real cultural issues that perpetuate poverty across generations.
You nailed every point.
Reparations are the white flag of people who accept that they can’t compete with others THEY view as superior - and the bill would be footed by the growing populations of Asians and Hispanics as well as the dwindling number of whites.
We can’t let them control the discussion with the “400 years” BS; the US had legalized slavery for 80 years (1783-1863). Oddly enough, the European monarchs had it for about twice as long before the creation of the US, and in a couple of years (2023) we’ll have had it for twice as long since.