Reparations for slavery. It’s been an issue that has come up time and again throughout American history. From the First Abolitionist Movement to the concept of “Forty Acres and a Mule” during the Reconstruction Era to attempts to implement it during the past several decades, it seems to be an issue that won’t go away.

But there are several questions regarding this matter, which are as follows:

• Isn’t there a statute of limitations in regards to reparations for slavery? There was the plan for Forty Acres and a Mule, which was enacted (but then rescinded) during Reconstruction. At any rate, if reparations for slavery should have been enacted back then.
• Who foots the bill? Several states and localities (some of whom have little, if any, ties to slavery) have attempted to pass legislation authorizing taxpayer’s money in order to fund reparations. And if that is the case, then technically African-Americans would see their tax dollars paying for reparations. The same can be for other people, such as those whose ancestors came to America after the Civil War, or those whose ancestors fought for the Union during the Civil War. And what about people whose ancestors did not own slaves? It should be noted that some African- Americans fall into one or more of these categories. Should everyone whose ancestor owned slaves and/or fought for the Confederacy pay more taxes in order to fund reparations for slavery? And if so, then everyone’s genealogical records would have to be researched in order to determine who would foot the bill.
• The United States was not the only country that engaged in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Several European nations (Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands) engaged in it as well- should they be paying for reparations as well?
• The African slave trade was not limited to the Atlantic. The Portuguese engaged in a slave trade off the eastern coast of Africa, and as previously mentioned should they be paying for reparations. There was also the Trans-Sahara slave trade (which was carried out by the Arabs) as well as the Indian Ocean slave trade. It should be noted that even Africans played a role in the African slave trade. So should various African and Arab nations also be providing funds for reparations? In regards to the latter, that is an unlikely scenario, since most Arabs are Muslims, and slavery is allowed in Islam. In fact, the word “abd” is Arabic for both black and slave.

So if anyone is advocating reparations for slavery, they need to do some
thorough research before singling out any particular group or nation.

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