Unit 2: Op-Ed Piece

Chelsea Brown

Professor Garcia

ENG 1121

15 April, 2022

Reparations for Slavery

The American dream centralizes itself on the assumption that all people, regardless of their gender, age, sexuality, and other factors, have the equal opportunity to pursue happiness, liberty, and life. This dream further asserts that everyone who works hard can own a home, acquire resources or start businesses that last for generations. While this dream is readily achievable for almost everyone, there are distinct racial discriminations that call for reparation. The most significant of this discrimination affects members of the African American community and originates from the numerous years of slavery before the ratification of the 13th amendment to abolish slavery. So many years after this ratification, society is yet to make the necessary retributions to equal the scores for this slavery. There are considerable gaps in the amount of wealth owned by white and African American people in the U.S. These gaps are also prevalent in employment opportunities, education, leadership, and other factors of society. Society has not made the necessary preparations for slavery, as evident in the absence of the reimbursement for oppressive servitude and unequal land and capital distribution. 

The American Society and government lack most of their reluctance to ensure reparation for slavery. For over one hundred years, enslaved African American people labored on white farms, where they faced oppression and unpaid servitude. During this time, the wealthy white landowners accumulated a lot of wealth for themselves and their generations at the expense of the toiling African American people. The government as well benefited from this oppression and slavery. It even invested over $3 billion in 1860 to acquire enslaved African Americans to provide free labor for production (Rashawn & Perry, 2021). This investment was way higher than that invested in infrastructure and factories. It would mean that slavery was a critical aspect of the economy that benefited the white community and disadvantaged African Americans. Rashawn and Perry (2021) report a 250 million U.S. dollars return as proceeds for cotton production by enslaved African Americans in 1861. The Society and American government are yet to reimburse the African Americans for this servitude despite the enormous profits generated. 

The effect of the absent reparation for the slavery of African Americans is also manifest in the current unequal distribution and allocation of land. In addition to the slavery, African Americans were not allowed to own land, which created an unequal land distribution between the white and African American communities. Even after they were allowed to own land, the society failed to appreciate arrangements that aimed to rationalize the equitable distribution of land. The order by General William Sherman to grant families of the enslaved African Americans ’40 acres of land and a mule’ as restitution for the time they were not allowed to own land was revoted in 1866 (CRF). Sherman intended to equalize the gap in land ownership between whites and African Americans. 

The society also manifests a lack of reparation by not addressing the prevalent, unequal distribution of capital and opportunities. During the years of slavery, the children of the white landowners went to schools and improved their education and opportunities for making a fortune. The counterparts in the African American community toiled with their parents on white farms and did not get a chance to improve their education. The success among young people depends on many factors, including the education level. Therefore, the educated white children, despite the abolishment of slavery, stood a better chance of acquiring employment and generating capital. Society failed to set appropriate measures to handle this unequal distribution of opportunities manifested in failed bills to fund African American education or subsidize student loans. As Huddleston (2021) would put it, the historical discrimination of African Americans is yet evident in health, economic, educational setups, and reparation is necessary for these people ‘to be made whole again. 

They are numerous arguments that oppose the call for reparation. The most raised view in the counteraction against reparation is that slavery was long abolished, which is not evident in modern society. The promoters of this argument continued to assert that the challenges that African American people face are not a result of ‘the legacy of slavery’ but rather social ills rooted within Society (CRF). Such augments fail to realize that even though slavery is not practiced in modern society, the effects of that practice years ago reverberate till today. In addition, the social ills blamed for the challenges African American people face are not prevalent in society but originated from slavery itself.  

Society has failed to realize the necessary reparation for the slavery accorded to African Americans. Despite this practice generating numerous resources for the white community and government, the government is reluctant to reimburse this labor. The result is the unequal distribution of resources and land. In addition, the absent reparation exemplifies upper to inequality in education, health, and employment. Perhaps reparation is more of a necessity than it is an obligation.  

Works Cited

CRF “Reparations for Slavery Reading.” Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF), https://www.crf-usa.org/brown-v-board-50th-anniversary/reparations-for-slavery-reading.html. 

Jr., Tom Huddleston. “The Debate over Slavery Reparations: Where Things Stand to How Much It Could Cost.” CNBC, CNBC, 19 June 2021, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/19/slavery-reparations-from-where-things-stand-to-how-much-it-might-cost.html. 

Ray, Rashawn, and Andre M. Perry. “Why We Need Reparations for Black Americans.” Brookings, Brookings, 4 Mar. 2021, https://www.brookings.edu/policy2020/bigideas/why-we-need-reparations-for-black-americans/.