Slavery Reparations

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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 South, it varied from state to state as shown in Table 1.

Table 1

A Percentage of slave owning families in each state that allowed it in 1860

Mississippi 49% Louisiana 29% Kentucky 23%

South Carolina 46% Texas 28% Arkansas 20%

Georgia 37% North Carolina 28% Missouri 13%

Alabama 35% Virginia 26% Maryland 12%

Florida 34% Tennessee 25% Delaware 3%

Note. From the Historical Census Browser, Copyright 2007 by University of Virginia Library

The southern states can essentially be broke out into three separate categories based on their geological location in the country. These categories are the Lower South, Upper South, and the Border States. The population was also impacted by slaves in these areas. As the value of slaves began to be noticed, the conditions improved just enough to allow many generations to live and work in the same areas. Figure 1 shows that the percentage of population in these areas also varied but the impact is still notable.

Figure 1. A Percentage of the Po...

... middle of paper ...

...it the African American people.

From the time of the Civil War until today, the need for reparations and what type of reparations has been a topic of debate in America. This debate will undoubtedly not go away. No matter what side of the argument a person is on, it is a fact that in 1865 the government believed that reparations were needed. Even though the land was taken back from the newly freed slaves, some insist that laws have been put into place to help assure that minorities, including African Americans, have a fair chance at employment and other aspects in the search for happiness and this is in itself a form of reparations. This issue affects everyone in America. The question now is how it affects us as Americans. This is a subject that everyone should take seriously and I challenge you to research you ancestry and determine what your role in this issue is.

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