...The article, “Reparations for Slavery?” it’s about the history and the meaning of reparation and how it will affect America with African Americans. The author of this article has three separate parts of the reparations, the idea that comes from it, explaining about the Conyers bill, and the positives and negatives of reparations. For the idea that comes from it, the article explains that it started before the civil war where a General ordered 40 acres of land and a mule for each family that were slaves, however it was rejected twice. There were several other reparations over time, with one the author points out mostly; and that was the second part of the article, Conyers bill. It was in November 1989, where a representative of state named Conyers have created his bill and according to the article the bill’s purpose is, “to acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slaver in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a Commission to examine that institution slavery, subsequent de jure and de facto and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes” (Costly)....
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...Ja’Breona Mackie English 119 CRN 38395 March 30, 2014 African American Reparations 149 years ago slavery was said to have been “abolished.” From 1620-1865 our ancestors were raped, killed, tortured, and demoralized. That was for 245 years. Yet African Americans are supposed to just forget about it. What they don’t let you forget is the incarcerated Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II, the Holocaust, and running the Native Americans out of their own land. Those thousands of Japanese Americans, Native Americans and Jews all were compensated due to their victimization. They too lost their property and liberty just as our people did. One group of people that has not yet received anything thing as means of amends for the wrong doings against them are African Americans. It is my opinion just like that of many other thousands of African Americans that we as a group should be given some type of reparation. People give many reasons and justifications for why blacks shouldn’t be given any reparations. Coming from an opposing side some say black Americans are not owed anything for the fact that our ancestors were slaves. We were not directly affected by it nor hurt. It is true that we are not the only culture that was enslaved. The government can’t hand out money to every group that was done wrong. That would be making out a check to all of America. “Being given welfare, food stamps, W.I.C, and Medicaid are more than enough handouts they need” said an anonymous...
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...Throughout all of the various issues being explored and debated in today’s society, one that has become very prevalent in the past few years is the matter of slavery reparations in America. Advocates of this cause have begun to raise awareness in an effort to make reparations to African Americans affected by the crime of slavery in the United States. This is an extremely controversial subject, especially since there are so many different considerations and opinions surrounding the issue. Anthony Gifford’s article, “The Legal Basis of the Claim for Slavery Reparations”, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “The Case for Reparations”, and chapter nine of Michael Sandel’s book, Justice: What’s The Right Thing To Do? all dig deeper into this issue and take a look at the idea of slavery reparations from various different angles. One of the big questions to reflect on while considering the possibility of slavery reparations in America is: What can be done in order to begin resolving the issue of slavery reparations? The...
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...REPARATIONS TO FORMER SLAVES DESCENDANTS. The debate of reparation continues unabated and legendary. It is gathering such a momentum that people who initially did not support it are now changing camps to galvanize support for it. Man was born equal without any superiority of one race over the other. Pigmentation, I believe, should not be a paradigm by which we determine who should rule or enslave the other. Although slavery is as old as the existence of man, its longevity is not a permissible cause to be perpetrated against humanity. The untold hardship executed against humanity, precisely Africans during the era of this heinous and barbaric so called “trade”, as if human beings were commodities, needs a meticulous attention by all level-headed people. In an article, “Lawsuits seek reparation from Britain, France, and Netherlands for their roles in Atlantic slave trade”, the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves in his speech on the 68th United Nations General Assembly said “the European nations must pay for their deeds”. He bemoans, “ “The awful legacy of these crimes against humanity – a legacy which exists today in our Caribbean – ought to be repaired for the developmental benefit of our Caribbean societies and all our peoples,” Gonsalves said. “The European nations must partner in a focused, especial way with us to execute this repairing.” Although the petitioners have not specified a monetary figure for the...
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...have happened in history. Its easy to forget or not dwell upon the bad and even horrible things that have happened in the past but we should not forget them and we definitely cannot erase them. This time in history was filled with the suffering of many people for the benefit of the “superior” white man, as they had defined themselves then. When we reflect on this time period we think about all the things that we were taught in...
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...According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary reparations are “the act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury; it is something done or given as amends or satisfaction; the payment of damages compensation in money or materials payable by a defeated nation for damages to or expenditures sustained by another nation as a result of hostilities with the defeated nation” (merriam-webster.com). “The paying of descendants of enslaved Africans for free labor of their ancestors. Supporters argue that the government of the United States at one time sanctioned enslavement and now it should try to remedy the effects of it by paying the descendants of the enslaved for their work” (Asante, Molefi Kete 486). I interviewed a diverse group and asked if they felt that due to the long stretch of years of oppression and torture African Americans have gone through in this country should they be given reparations and if so how. The group I interviewed included family, friends and co-workers: my son a seventeen year old African American male who is Baptist, a co-worker a twenty-five year old Caucasian female who is Catholic, a co-worker a forty-four year old Latin American male who is Catholic, and a good friend a thirty-five year old African American female who is Muslim. The twenty-five year old Caucasian female believes that there is no price for compensation applicable to those today that had their enslaved ancestors suffer. Even if compensation were...
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...Reparations for Former Slaves Shaylee McCammon COM-150 January 17, 2010 Julia L.G. Kressig Throughout history there have been a number of instances in which people of a different race, religion, or cultural background were discriminated against, and it is time that the government repays those who have suffered. When someone makes public the belief that his or her race or beliefs are of more importance, he or she makes those who are of another race or have other beliefs think they are not important themselves. Those of the mistreated cultures, including former slaves and the aboriginal children of the stolen generation, are entitled to reparations for their mistreatment. These people were not only forced to believe they were not important but also that they could not believe in what their culture suggests they should. These people were forced to leave their homes and brought to strange environments, treated as if they were similar to the dirt on the ground, and forced to serve others for the extent of their lives. The treatment these cultures suffered entitles them to reparations for their mistreatment and removal from their homes and cultural beliefs. African Americans were taking from their homes around the world and brought to America to serve the white population as slaves. Slave traders often brought ships full of hundreds of slaves to this country by keeping them in such close quarters, they could hardly move around. They would put 150 to 200...
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...The Impact of Slavery on American Society DeVry University Abstract The subject of slavery has been the focus of a variety of controversies, debates, and protests throughout American history. Besides the Civil War era there has not been another time in history when slavery has been such a volatile topic as it has become in the last half decade. Even in modern day America the subject of slavery evokes significant discussions and has influenced legislative decisions such as the recent removal of the Confederate flag from South Carolina’s State House grounds and other government and public locations throughout the South. This paper seeks to review the literature attaching the history of slavery and present examples of the ethnic and cultural contributions that aided in the growth and diversity of America. It will also introduce examples of today’s societal issues including educational, economic, and social variances; the right to support cultural heritage; and the significant role history plays in influencing decisions made in America today. Introduction American history is filled with heinous acts that many would like to forget happened; slavery is no exception. Although it was a necessity of the times, slavery is undoubtedly one of the most volatile topics of discussion today; not just because of the inhuman and discriminatory treatment that was inflicted on an entire race, but also because of the perceived continued existence of some of those same...
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...is no easy solution to the American Reconstruction. However, we believe that our end goal should be a warm sense of unity between the North and the South. We have realized that the Southern states have committed unjust crimes that have brought casualties to all Americans, we would like to help the South rebuild the new United States that they would want to join. All our proposed solutions have a definite end goal; unity and prosperity in the United States of America. Both the North, the South and other neutral parties will have a say on the terms and legalities of reconstruction. In spirit of American ideals, we would like everyone’s ideas and opinions to be heard at both the federal and the state level. Equal representation will secure a solution that does not explicitly target states, populations, races, and genders. The South will have to pay 100% of gross war debts over a ten year period with inflation. Additionally, all plantation owners must give 10% of total reparations an ex-slave would have earned if they were paid for their labor. A minimum wage for cotton, field and house workers will be 25 dollars a year. These minimal reparations are another way of giving ex-slaves the ability to integrate into society. All state constitutions must be re-written to be suitable for...
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...that racism is over and accused the party of trying too hard to appeal to African American voters. The message the Republicans distributed only shows how the government continues to undermine the on-going mistreatment of African Americans. Racism has no sight of ending because for centuries the economic and social gaps between African Americans and Caucasians have steadily increased, and it will be impossible to close if we depend solely on time to fix it. Other races have received reparations for what they went through, but for some unknown reason African Americans were expected to get over their trauma because a couple of laws were passed to free them from state recognized slavery. Silence needs to be broken against racism in order to open the government’s eyes to the continuous discrimination faced by African Americans daily, in addition to the centuries of torture. Jews in Europe were victimized by Nazi Germany for a small fraction of the amount of time blacks suffered and Germany paid both the individuals and the state. Enslaved Africans, on the other hand, had slavery “abolished,” and were allowed to buy stale pieces of land in order to make crops to sell and use that money to pay back their white oppressors. The government expects people to believe that racism ended, but they see nothing wrong with Caucasians getting paid for unfair treatment that only lasted twelve years when African Americans were abused for nearly three centuries and counting and received nothing...
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...Racial & Ethnic Short-Answer Questions (15) Should reparations be paid to the descendants of victims of slavery? • Some reject the decision made in the Bakke case that providing a remedy for the effects of racial discrimination is unconstitutional. They argue that the idea of reparations is rooted in international law. • Affirmative Action is inadequate, the ‘Maafa’ (meaning disaster, i.e., slavery) is a crime against humanity, and therefore compensation is required. • In the past 50 years apologies and financial compensation has been given to a wide range of groups, including survivors of the Jewish holocaust (as well as descendants of the victims), Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned during the Second World War and native Americans who had their land illegally seized in the USA. • African Americans have been demanding compensation for slavery since the end of the American Civil War. Immediately after the abolition of slavery, the demand was for 40 acres and a mule to ensure they would not be dependent on their former slave-owners. Then, between 1890 and 1917, there was a movement to lobby the government for pensions to compensate for their unpaid labour under slavery. Since 1989, Congressman John Conyers Jnr (Michigan) has introduced a bill every year to study the case for reparations. Each of these initiatives has been largely ignored by the political establishment. • Reparations would ensure full recognition of the scale of the Maafa and, at the same time...
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...society does not inflict violence on the powerless; does not pursue ‘glamour’ at the expense of innocent animals.—The Millennium Guild, The New York Times, advertisement, 2007 Helpless animals are harmed in the process of testing chemicals. As a society we should not be inflicting violence on the innocent to pursue our beauty. Evaluation: As a human I would never harm myself in the pursuit of beauty therefore animals should not be harmed in the process either. 2) “People deserve pay for their labor. Whether you wash cars or transplant hearts, you ought to get paid. African Americans worked hard to build this country, and their sweat produced some of the nation’s great fortunes. But because they were forced to work against their will as slaves, they were never paid. Now the bill is due, and it’s time to give the workers the money they earned. The United States government owes reparations to every living African American—man, woman, and child.”—Colby Brown, student (2008) Everyone deserves to be compensated for their hard work. African American’s slave labor went unpaid. The U.S. Government owes every African American for their hard work. Evaluation: How would you feel if you worked for free for years? African American’s built this country and their blood sweat and tears and our...
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...about the different religions. Being a Christian I believe there is a God and if you believe in him you can do anything you set your mind to. Judaism believes that God created the world for the purpose of having people upon whom to bestow kindness. He gave us commandments in order that they should deserve the kindness he bestows and that it not be charity. Judaism has the Torah which is five books of Moses and is the primary text of Judaism, whereas Christianity has the bible. Some experiences Judaism has had was being marked and imprisoned or even killed for being a Jew as during the Nazi regime during the war. Considering that the Jewish people constitute a mere one half of one percent of the world’s population, Jewish contributions to religion, science, literature, music, medicine, finance, philosophy, and entertainment is staggering. In the field of medicine alone, Jewish contributions are staggering and continue to be so. It was a Jew who created the first polio vaccine, who discovered insulin and who discovered that aspirin dealt with pain among a few. Today, Israel a nation only sixty years old has emerged at the forefront of stem cell research, which will, in the near future, give humanity unprecedented medical treatment for degenerative diseases. Anti-Semitism is a form of hatred, mistrust and contempt for Jews based on stereotypes and myths and often invokes the belief that Jews have extraordinary influence with which they conspire to harm or control society. Anti-Semitism...
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...Hammurabi’s code was the main cause of law and government. This was the first real form of government. Both are a way to control citizens of a nation. The laws and government are a source of a criminal and court system. The criminal and court system created by Hammurabi’s government was a major cause of the reparations in Germany for war crimes. If there was no criminal or court system, there wouldn’t be a need for the reparations or even the war crimes themselves. Cave art was the earliest known form of written interaction. The cave drawings led to honing drawing and painting skills which led up to modernization of art. The modernization of art led up to romanticism. Romanticism led up to and was a major role in the renaissance. Drawing and...
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...sorted out the problems with the treaty of Versailles. However, some people may say he didn’t help Germany because the culture was changed completely and the country basically ran riot. Also, at the time that Stresemann was in charge, politicians were being killed and there were many revolts. In my essay I will argue both sides but finally come to my own conclusion. In 1922, the German government announced that they couldn’t pay anymore reparations to France due to the state of the economy. The country was in far too much debt. Of course the French were not happy and therefore sent 60,000 French and Belgian soldiers to the Ruhr. The government was hated already because a lot of people blamed them for signing the treaty in the first place which meant they had to pay reparations to France they couldn’t afford. The government told the workers at the Ruhr to refuse to collaborate with the French, consequently, the industrial production stopped. This caused a rise in unemployment and a rise in Poverty. The government decided to print more money to give to the workers but this was the worst decision they could have made. The more money they printed, the higher the prices went so they had to keep printing more and more money to match these prices. As a result of this, money became worthless therefore causing hyperinflation in Germany. Peoples life savings couldn’t even buy them a pint of milk...
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