“No American should have owned slaves in the first place.”
That is easy to say today. For perspective, 6% of the slaves brought to the New World were brought to the US. Far more were brought to the Caribbean, likewise to Brazil. Europeans seem to have gotten the idea of owning black slaves from the Muslim Arabs, who likely acquitted more black slaves over the centuries. Slavery is still practiced in Northern Sudan and a bill was recently introduced to legalize slavery in Saudi Arabia.
“When they were released, they should have been sent back to their homelands with payment for their work, IMO.”
African Americans were re-settled in Liberia. Their flag looks familiar, red, white, and blue with one star and stripes.
“Leaving them in the US only caused more misery for them. Up to this day, many are miserable living in the US.”
Well, I think they have a say in the matter. I know there was at least one book written by an African American after he went to Africa. His message was an emphatic preference for America.
I do think African Americans have had a troubled history (as has everyone). Aside from slavery, minimum wage laws were first enacted to keep southern black construction workers from competing with unionized whites in the north. To this day, minimum wage laws hit black teenagers the hardest. If you never get your first job, well ...
Our government school system regularly fails to serve black students. There are many excuses given for this. One is lack of discipline. But a school system that cannot provide tough love when required is a failed school system.
And I forgot welfare which led to the break-up of poor families. There are as many poor whites as poor blacks, but a greater percentage of blacks are poor (each relative to its respective population).