Slavery Reparations Essay - 1591 Words

Nobody questions the fact that slavery has been the cause of pain for many people and families. What is in question is how to mend this pain. Have the ancestors of American slaves experienced troubles directly resulting from the actions of slavery that deserve reparations? Are the ancestors of slave owners experiencing prosperity that should be redistributed? Although slavery has been illegal in America for 143 years, the controversy over slavery reparations continue to cause controversy to this day. During the 1860’s, slavery was a huge part of life in the South and its effects touch many people and their families. Almost one-third of all Southern families owned slaves (Wright, 1900). Even though slavery was widespread throughout the†¦show more content†¦Wright p.50, Copyright 1900 by Government Printing Office. Not only was slavery a big part of the population but it also made up a big part of the economy. Although the southern states had only 30% of the nation’s free population, it was home to 60% of the nation’s wealthiest men. The per capita income in the South was about $3,978 versus the North at $2,040 according to the Historical Census Browser (2004). Even before the Civil War ended, the Government had seen the need to provide aid for the newly freed slaves. On January 16, 1865, General William Sherman issued a field order to set aside confiscated land for the newly freed slaves (Myers, 2005). This field order, commonly known as field order N o. 15, decreed to set aside 400,000 acres of land to be redistributed to the newly free slaves and their families. This land would be divided into 40 acre plots and each of the families would be given one of these plots to live on and do with as they see fit. A later order would also authorize the military to loan each of these families on mule in an effort to help them make a living on this newly acquired land. Sherman, along with the Secretary of War, also met with the community leaders to discuss how these lands would be divided up and many of the other issues that came along with the emancipation of slaves in the south. Four days before the notorious Field Order No. 15, Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton met with twenty of the Savannah blackShow MoreRelatedReparations For Slavery : Slavery1218 Words   |  5 Pages Reparations for Slavery? Harriet Tubman once said, â€Å"Now I ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.† What is a reparation? A reparation is the making of amends for a wrong one has done, by paying money to or otherwise helping those who have been wronged. The biggest question of time is should African Americans receive payments for slavery? Many people would say yes withRead MoreU.s. Slavery Reparations972 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Should African Americans Receive Reparations? Racism and hate have played a major role in United States history. These words have been the fuel behind slavery, inhuman treatment, and genocides. The Kosovo, Native Americans, Japanese, and African Americans are some of the prominent races that have been affected by racism and hate. The U.S. have given reparations to the victims of Kosovo, Native American, and Japanese, but no reparation have been given to African Americans. ForRead MoreThe Legacies of Slavery and Reparations Essay1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe Legacies of Slavery and Reparations Reparations? Just the term stirs up controversy, along with endless amounts of questions that are still to be answered. Should reparations be awarded? Is it feasible? Who should receive it? In what forms should it be given? These are only a few of the most important questions that need to be answered. To answer these questions, I will draw on the research conducted for my country study and the panel debates that were conducted over the past weeks. Read MoreEssay on Reparations For African Slavery1203 Words   |  5 Pagesand deprive African Americans of their liberties and enslaved them. Since then, the United States has attempted to repair this mistake through reparations. The legal reparations of the United States have unsuccessfully redressed individual and social injustices by failing to alleviate the pain caused to the African American community. The Harm caused by Slavery still continues to be suffered by the community through this day. African Americans have always been devalued in the American Legal SystemRead MorePros On Slavery Reparations And The Civil War765 Words   |  4 PagesBrittney King Jefferson Fortner HUM-115 1 February 2016 Pros on Slavery Reparations Are we as the ancestors of slavery entitled to reparation from the businesses that promoted slave trade and or the government? The debates of slavery reparations has been a long drawn out tradition about what should happen but, in the eyes of the ancestors of African Americans they believe they are entitled reparations. I think as for slavery reparations the ancestors of African Americans deserve an apology for theRead MoreReparations For Slavery During The Civil War1712 Words   |  7 PagesReparations for slavery Reparations for slavery have been a topic among scholars and regular people for years now. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War many freed slaves were promised 40 acres of land, as a form of reparations.(Staff www.The Root.com) However, this became an empty promise and nothing was enforced to help African Americans become socially, economically, or politically leveled with white Americans since. African Americans were enslaved to work for big corporations andRead More Reparations for Slavery and Discrimination - Just Say NO Essay example1018 Words   |  5 PagesReparations for Slavery and Discrimination - Just Say NO If you are the son of a man who had a wealthy estate and you inherit your fathers estate, you have to pay off the debts that your father incurred before he died. The only reason that the present generation of white Americans are in a position of economic strength...is because their fathers worked our fathers for over 400 years with no pay...We were sold from plantation to plantation like you sell a horse, or a cow, or a chicken, or a bushelRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Holocaust1391 Words   |  6 Pages GERMAN REPARATIONS Historically, there has been many groups of people who have received reparations for past wrongdoings. There have been a few isolated incidents, such as the Rosewood event, where African Americans were harmed and received reparations; however, reparations have also been given on a much larger scale. Ta-Nehisi Coates is a national correspondent at The Atlantic, and he has written books along with countless articles on African Americans and equally. Coates is one of the mostRead MoreThe Case For Reparations : A Moral And Spiritual Awakening1684 Words   |  7 PagesThe issue of reparations in return for the egregious injustices committed in the form of slavery by our predecessors, is an important topic dissected in The Marrow of Tradition and Coates’ article â€Å"The Case for Reparations†. The cornerstone of this problem is the idea that due to all the years of generational oppression and discrimination, what form will this reparation end up taking? A reparation that i s based on doling out mere financial support for those that endured such brutality is insultingRead More Reparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago1464 Words   |  6 PagesReparations to Descendants of Slaves Should Have Ceased Long Ago In this day and time the world is heavily concerned with political and social corrective ness, thus everyone is catered too and no money changes hands. The idea and arguments of paying reparations to the descendants of slaves has been in the American media and courthouses since the English barrister James Grahame published a groundbreaking book in 1850 setting the first claim for reparations in the United States. It is no surprise