The conversation has begun once again, reparations! The last serious discussion of this took place ten years ago. So why do you think it has begun again? Couldn't be because of an upcoming election could it? No, I'm certain that has nothing to do with it. Could it be that a certain political party sees an opportunity to, shall we say, entice a particular demographic to vote a certain way. Could it be that a certain political party only views that group as a demographic, not as real citizens, just voters? That same party is attempting to have undocumented, illegal, aliens vote in our elections! So, for these reasons I question the sincerity of these talks. Seems like political posturing to me.
The original idea behind reparations was to compensate those who had been enslaved. This of course was after the civil war, immediately after. A group of twelve Black leaders were assembled and asked what it was they wanted. Their response was, land. They wanted land upon which they could live, work, and prosper. They wanted this land separate from the communities of the white man, quite a reasonable request and very understandable. They wished to form their own communities, with their own government representatives, without the interference of the white man. The U.S. Army was to provide them protection until they could protect themselves. This land would come from the plantations they had been forced to work. Had that come to fruition it is hard to imagine what America would be like today. The idea proposed by those black leaders was essentially, equal but separate. Later in history that idea was considered reprehensible. In 1896 the Supreme courts' opinion was that separate but equal was in keeping with the Constitution. That began what is commonly called the Jim Crow era. It wasn't until 1954 that was overturned by the court. So, to sum it up, originally the reparations were to be land ( not more than forty acres is the actual proposal ), this land would be separate from all other lands, and the army would loan the landowners a mule to work the land with. That is what was proposed.
So, what happened to that? Lincoln was shot and Andrew Johnson becomes president. Johnson is a southern sympathizer and rescinds that order. The land is to be returned to the plantation owners! Johnson is considered the founder of the Democratic party. He is later impeached for violation of the tenure act when he fires Stanton who was Secretary of War. He wasn't convicted however and was not removed from office. Still he holds the distinction of being the first president to face impeachment. But it was Andrew Johnson that withdrew that offer of reparations. From that point forward the black community was treated as second class citizens. Well, until 1954 anyway. 1954 is the beginning of the civil rights era and many programs were instituted to help the black communities achieve success. The barriers are coming down.
And that is a very brief history of reparations. The conversation has started once again. But what do the black leaders want this time? What is it that they feel will , make it right? Well, there is no clear answer. In monetary terms it has been suggested the Unites States would owe about 97 Trillion dollars to descendants of slaves. How those funds would be distributed isn't mentioned. But what is this conversation really about? Votes is the answer. The Democrats, the very party that created this situation in the first place as the ones saying, yes, yes, you absolutely should get reparations! It's a moral imperative! Of course they have no morals but that is another topic altogether. The objective of the Democratic party has always been the subjugation of the black man! They have been doing that since Andrew Johnson formed the party. The hope here is to " buy " a little more time and votes. That is what this discussion is about. Yes, everyone agrees that slavery was wrong, on every level. Everyone agrees the black man didn't receive a fair deal. Everyone agrees the black man wasn't treated as an equal and suffered for that. There is no discussion about that, everyone agrees. But, what to do. How do we change history? Fact is, you don't. It is far too late to make any meaningful gestures to alter the course of history! You can't change the past you can only work towards a better future.
How much money does it take to change a persons life? Isn't that the question being asked. Does anyone want forty acres and a mule? In 1865 that was a fortune, a significant compensation. A man could raise his family, make a living through his own labor, and prosper. What are we going to offer today? What would it take? Any large amount of monetary compensation would have to be viewed as winning the lottery! Fact is, 70% of the people that win the lottery go broke. Why? Because they don't know how to handle that much money. It makes no difference about their race. So maybe cash isn't the answer after all. Granted it would be a short term boost in moral no doubt about that but would it have a lasting effect? Doubtful. Some have suggested that black people should all receive free education, free housing, free food, and free medical, all while not being subject to any taxes. Some feel that would be equitable. The only problem being, how to prove who is descended from slaves and who is not? Indeed, if you are of mixed race, ie: not a pure blooded African slave, would that apply to you? Where any mixed race slaves imported to America?
I don't have any answers. I do feel it is far too late for any meaningful reparations to be made. Anything offered now would just be a token. Anything received would be viewed by many as unfair and cause further divide. Perceptions are very strong motivators. No I just can't see any equitable solution to this issue. But it is my feeling after the elections it will once again be set aside. No matter which party wins, I can't see any meaningful reparations being distributed.
The original idea behind reparations was to compensate those who had been enslaved. This of course was after the civil war, immediately after. A group of twelve Black leaders were assembled and asked what it was they wanted. Their response was, land. They wanted land upon which they could live, work, and prosper. They wanted this land separate from the communities of the white man, quite a reasonable request and very understandable. They wished to form their own communities, with their own government representatives, without the interference of the white man. The U.S. Army was to provide them protection until they could protect themselves. This land would come from the plantations they had been forced to work. Had that come to fruition it is hard to imagine what America would be like today. The idea proposed by those black leaders was essentially, equal but separate. Later in history that idea was considered reprehensible. In 1896 the Supreme courts' opinion was that separate but equal was in keeping with the Constitution. That began what is commonly called the Jim Crow era. It wasn't until 1954 that was overturned by the court. So, to sum it up, originally the reparations were to be land ( not more than forty acres is the actual proposal ), this land would be separate from all other lands, and the army would loan the landowners a mule to work the land with. That is what was proposed.
So, what happened to that? Lincoln was shot and Andrew Johnson becomes president. Johnson is a southern sympathizer and rescinds that order. The land is to be returned to the plantation owners! Johnson is considered the founder of the Democratic party. He is later impeached for violation of the tenure act when he fires Stanton who was Secretary of War. He wasn't convicted however and was not removed from office. Still he holds the distinction of being the first president to face impeachment. But it was Andrew Johnson that withdrew that offer of reparations. From that point forward the black community was treated as second class citizens. Well, until 1954 anyway. 1954 is the beginning of the civil rights era and many programs were instituted to help the black communities achieve success. The barriers are coming down.
And that is a very brief history of reparations. The conversation has started once again. But what do the black leaders want this time? What is it that they feel will , make it right? Well, there is no clear answer. In monetary terms it has been suggested the Unites States would owe about 97 Trillion dollars to descendants of slaves. How those funds would be distributed isn't mentioned. But what is this conversation really about? Votes is the answer. The Democrats, the very party that created this situation in the first place as the ones saying, yes, yes, you absolutely should get reparations! It's a moral imperative! Of course they have no morals but that is another topic altogether. The objective of the Democratic party has always been the subjugation of the black man! They have been doing that since Andrew Johnson formed the party. The hope here is to " buy " a little more time and votes. That is what this discussion is about. Yes, everyone agrees that slavery was wrong, on every level. Everyone agrees the black man didn't receive a fair deal. Everyone agrees the black man wasn't treated as an equal and suffered for that. There is no discussion about that, everyone agrees. But, what to do. How do we change history? Fact is, you don't. It is far too late to make any meaningful gestures to alter the course of history! You can't change the past you can only work towards a better future.
How much money does it take to change a persons life? Isn't that the question being asked. Does anyone want forty acres and a mule? In 1865 that was a fortune, a significant compensation. A man could raise his family, make a living through his own labor, and prosper. What are we going to offer today? What would it take? Any large amount of monetary compensation would have to be viewed as winning the lottery! Fact is, 70% of the people that win the lottery go broke. Why? Because they don't know how to handle that much money. It makes no difference about their race. So maybe cash isn't the answer after all. Granted it would be a short term boost in moral no doubt about that but would it have a lasting effect? Doubtful. Some have suggested that black people should all receive free education, free housing, free food, and free medical, all while not being subject to any taxes. Some feel that would be equitable. The only problem being, how to prove who is descended from slaves and who is not? Indeed, if you are of mixed race, ie: not a pure blooded African slave, would that apply to you? Where any mixed race slaves imported to America?
I don't have any answers. I do feel it is far too late for any meaningful reparations to be made. Anything offered now would just be a token. Anything received would be viewed by many as unfair and cause further divide. Perceptions are very strong motivators. No I just can't see any equitable solution to this issue. But it is my feeling after the elections it will once again be set aside. No matter which party wins, I can't see any meaningful reparations being distributed.
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