Do you think African Americans should be rewarded any form of reparations?

Question

This is a real issue being discussed. African Americans are still being haunted by the ghosts of slavery. They are dying at alarming rates just check out the census bureau. African Americans should not be struggling as they are. It's almost as if they are new in the country. Why arn't African Americans thriving in this country as African Americans help lay the foundations and it didn't cost the Government a dime. That's why this question is asked, if many Caucasian Americans are benefiting in this country due to the free labor of slavery ( which were benefitting for hundreds of years), don't you think the government should compensate African Americans something?

Answer 1

If you can show me an african american who has been a legal slave in america then I will personally pay him reparations.  No?  Ok then, how about some personal responsibility and the character to stop using something that happened to your great great grandparents as a crutch.

Answer 2

Not at all.

America was founded by those being repressed; slavery was the extreme.  Keep this in perspective. The American government cannot be held accountable for the actions or lack of action of our forefathers. What is considered illegal or unethical today was perfectly acceptable back then.

Let's move on as a nation.

Your decisions and actions today create opportunities tommorrow.

The only African-Americans today are those born in Africa, then moved to the US and became naturalized. If you were born in America; black, white, yellow, green or purple, you are an American; period.

If current black Americans want to dwell on the past, and rely on handouts, then they are not part of the solution, but part of the problem.

We as human beings must make the bed we sleep in.

Answer 3

Slavery was abolished in 1865. That was 143 years ago. I'm interested to know how and why anyone would think that they are still struggling due to slavery. A person, regardless of race, has the ability to either be a product of their environment, or strive to do better. It is my belief that the ones claiming they're still suffering because of something that happened many generations ago, are the same ones that made the choice to be a product of their environment. One's destiny is up to nobody them themselves. I owe nothing to the descendants of slavery. I do not feel the need to apologize or repay anything for the actions of my ancestors. I did not know them. Nor did the descendants of slavery know their ancestors. Time to get over it.

Answer 4

NO.  This is just an issue that stops the progress of a race of people.  I am white as the next "caucasian"  but I have black blood.  I have never used it as an excuse.  

This happened to generations past.  I also have Irish, English, and German.  If you study history many people were brought to the US as indentured servants.  Should we pay them?  Everyone needs to get over this.  Everyone from Bill Clinton to Jessie Jackson has apologized for the slavery thing, when are we going to move on?  

As far as the mortality rate; you have to figure in life style, black on black crime and genetics.  

Besides not all blacks are struggling; Obama for one.  Powell, Sowel, Thomas, P Diddy, The Jackson's, Jessie Jackson, Sharpton, Wright,etc.

Answer 5

no.

tell me why i am responsible for what the govt and RICH land owners did over 200 years ago.  i'm not and neither are you.

all people need to step up for themselves and their families.  i am ok with a hand UP, i'm tired of all the hand outs.  there is a difference.

Answer 6

I do believe that any person that was brought to this country and had their constitutional rights violated and were used for to help maintain or achieve monetary gain should receive compensation. But I do believe that if this was to happen it should happen a long time ago when slavery was abolished. Whats sad about the african american community now (mainly the youth) is that they dont appreciate what our ancestors have achieve in the past.

Our successful African Americans are not effectively helping those here in the USA. And if we dont shake the mentality of getting a hand out, the MAN is out to get us we will always be the struggling minority. Instead of worrying about rapping and sports and bling why not step up resources that every african american graduates high school and goes to college. Why not take our talents and gifts and make it better for our future.

I am a 26 year old african american woman who insteads collects a check from welfare works a crappy job 55 hrs a week and already have money put aside in college funds for my 7 year old and 7 month old.  I have no degree and im not married but I refused to be another young single black mother begging for a handout.

If you want to have reparations then lets be fesible, how about make it that every african american that graduates with a B average or higher gets a full scholarship to a accredited four year university of their home town. And they must maintain that B average to keep it. .

  

Answer 7

Did you see the program that aired a few weeks ago called "Black in America"? Interestingly the family that was featured was not only descended from slaves, but from slave owners too. So that leaves the average person with the question of would they have to pay reparations as well as receive them?

There are also more issues with the subject of reparations. Are we going to go back to see what families were in the U.S. during the period of slavery? What happens to families that immigrated after slavery was abolished? If my family didn't come here until the 20th century and I'm ordered to pay reparations, you can bet I would challenge that on the grounds that my civil rights were violated.

What about "African Americans" that immigrated after slavery was abolished? I have a large number of friends from the Dominican Republic that are considered "black" but they're not "African American" nor were they slaves here in the U.S. Would they receive reparations as well?

There are also some people that argue that Affirmative Action is compensation. If an unqualified minority (whether black, female, Hispanic etc.) can get a college education, a job, a house etc before a more qualified person of the Caucasian majority, how is that not compensation?

There are too many problems and too many issues muddying up the waters in regards to the subject of reparations. What needs to be done is for the majority peoples and the minorities to work together and realize that working together is the only way to achieve true equality.  

Answer 8

Perhaps -personal responsibility put into practice in an individual's life would be of greater benefit than another handout.

Your skin color doesn't determine your future - your choices do

Answer 9

No, and they have already been 'compensated' twice over through the welfare-rolls & the large prison population.

Answer 10

To be sold by your own people to those who would take you to a new land as a working prisoner is beyond my comprehension.  Not all states allowed or believed that slavery was moral.  We fought a war over it that tore our nation apart.  At the same time, many states in the union now were not states at the time.  To charge the entire country reparations for what happened so long ago doesn't seem right either.  There were also white slaves that had to pay off their debt.  That is how slavery actually began.  

Not all African Americans here now are here due to slavery but came here later because they immigrated from their homeland.  How would a determination be made as to who had a right to reparations?  Would it be determined solely by the color of one's skin?  Some people who were born to slaves have white skin and are unaware of their heritage.  Probably more than we'll ever know.  I realize there are still journals with the names of the slaves, but many have changed their names and lost track of their heritage.  How would a person go about proving they were owed reparations?  

So many African Americans could take advantage of programs made available to them to make something of their lives but many do not take advantage of them.  They are in a rut concerning their lifestyles.  They seem stuck in the urban areas where there are few who escape the environment.  I think an indepth study needs to be done to see what is actually causing this and put the money towards answers to those issues.

Answer 11

YES  

Answer 12

Anyone who was a slave should get reparations, but not their descendants several generations later who have had the opportunity to improve their condition in the same way as other well known black Americans.  If everyone who's ancestors were discriminated against received reparations, there would be no money left to do anything else. Native Americans have been treated just as poorly, if not worse, than African Americans.  They are still trying to get what was originally promised to them in numerous broken treaties, but nothing else.  They understand that Americans today are not responsible for what  happened 100-200 years ago.  

Answer 13

Not a real issue. Pretty much EVERYONE has some African American blood in their line. Do we pay everyone?  

Answer 14

No, I do not.  In that case, what about women?  Should we be compensated too?  Women are continually oppressed and have been "enslaved" (so to speak) for much longer.

I am not sure how to solve any current day inequality and how to provide everyone with the same quality of life (i.e same opportunities).  I think it is just going to take more time.  It will come...

Peace and love! =)

Answer 15

1. Slavery did not provide any real benefit to this country outside of the slave-owners (some of whom were african by the way) and slave-traders.

2. This country has paid for that national sin with a civil war and the strife that followed.

3. 90% of causcasions living in the US now are descended from immigrants who arrived here after 1900.

4. African-Americans have the highest standard of living in the world outside of Europe.

5. Not all african-americans in this country are descended from slaves and some of those may descended from owners. And some of those are of mixed blood, are suggesting someone who's only half african get only half the benefit.

6. Whom do you suggest pay the bill?? And who do you think will decide who gets and who doesn't?

Slave "reparations" is just another scam by group of people who want to fleece the nation as whole using a trumped up cause. Not to mention just plain stupid.

Answer 16

h**l no. Show me one single african american living & breathing today that was ever forced to pick  cotton & then I would consider it.

Answer 17

My family were poor Irish farmers, how did they benefit from slavery and why should I pay for it?