Political discussion is beginning concerning whether the U.S. should pay reparations to the descendants of slaves. If it were possible to compensate those people who were enslaved, arguments opposing reparations would be indefensible. Whether descendants of enslaved people are entitled to financial compensation for grave injury suffered by their ancestors is a more difficult question.
One argument for reparations is that discrimination and violence against black citizens did not end with emancipation. The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, constitutionally prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, constitutionally provided that “No State,” [currently 50] “shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1869, stated, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” These constitutional amendments have not been sufficient to prevent discrimination, injustice, and violence again black citizens.
A movie released in 1915, “The Birth of a Nation,” idolized the Ku Klux Klan. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson screened the movie at the White House. In 1925, the Ku Klux Klan paraded in Washington, D.C., attracting between 30,000 and 50,000 marchers. Discrimination in education, jobs, and housing continue to the present time, statistically recognizable by the economic status of many black citizens and black communities and by the health care deficiencies endured by black citizens. Incidents of white police officers shooting unarmed black citizens occur with embarrassing frequency. Attempts to gerrymander voting districts or impede voting by black citizens are still occurring.
The number of black people who were involuntarily brought to the United States and enslaved is unknown. An estimated four million slaves were freed by the emancipation proclamation in 1865, but the first slaves arrived 246 years earlier in 1619 making the total number of slaves unknown. The 2010 U.S. Census indicated that there were 42 million black U.S. citizens. It seems probable that many black citizens who are descendants of slaves would have difficulty proving their status.
What is fair and reasonable financial compensation for one’s ancestor’s servitude? How would we pay the reparations? If the payments are not substantial, it would be merely a political triviality. If the debate raises expectations but fails to produce reparations, it would be yet another injustice. Perhaps the best solution is to live up to our American ideals and provide education, job opportunities, housing, and justice for black citizens that they deserve and that is equal to the American citizenship enjoyed by everyone else.
This would be meaningful not only to currently living American black citizens, but also to their descendants.