should african americans recieve an APOLOGY for enslavement?

Question

why or why not notice i said APOLOGY, nothing else just an apology issued from the US government and please try to stay on topic im trying to be more mature with the questions i ask so please give more mature answers, thnx

Answer 1

I believe all black Americans who were slaves in this country should receive an apology. Are there any alive? Please have them line up to receive their official and long overdue apology. All those in walkers and wheel chairs can go first.

Answer 2

First off, I AM african american. That being said i think that in this PC culture it is a good move (although useless and I think that it was done before). Just as Germany had to apologize to the Jews for their injustices, and the way that wanted Saddam to apologize and pay for his attrocities, and even our troops at Abu Grab and "Gitmo" are supposed to apologize.. We could also apologize for nuking the japanese, using the chinese to build railroads, killing the indians and lying to them, and generally interfering in world affairs... But in reality apologies are for the giver, not the reciever. It removes the burden of guilt. It does not however bring back any lives, or free anyone oppressed, or even change anything in reality. The present mindset of blks being little more than "objects" rather than ppl would still remain. The whole idea of apologies and these senate resolutions against things we as a country have done (ie war in Iraq) that change nothing are merely 'lip service" and a waste of tax payer dollars!

Answer 3

NO. Every race on this planet has been held as slaves by another at some point in time. African Americans are not the only people held as slaves in this world. Are they slaves now? No, than why should anyone apologies for something they did not do? Also, why should anyone receive an apology for something that did not happen to them. There are no slaves of any race here in America today. I say to those people who think other wise to learn from it and move on. Life is for living, not dwelling in the past.

Answer 4

I think that it would be nice, but seeing that most of the people who were ACTUALLY enslaved are all dead, I don't think it would do much productive good. (And the enslavers are dead).



Besides, the fact that there are now many african-americans who have come here since then, who were not enslaved by the USA. Theoretically, if we were to apologize for our ancestors doings, then we need to apologize to the Native Americans. (who are still being effected).



I vote that if we feel slavery is wrong, (which we do), then we should crack our USA power to (dimplomatically) hinder their slave trade efforts.



The inherent problem is not what happened in the past, but what is going on RIGHT NOW. Try as the USA might think, anyone who is not white does NOT receive the same treatment. That's where we need to place our efforts, if we want to move our society forward.

Answer 5

No. It has been done many times over. All the people who should have been appologized to are long gone.Appologizing to people who have never lived a second in slavery for slavery is a bit ludacrous. I also believe that the current form of government of this country is one in the same who freed the slaves. Thus an appology would not be warranted. Maybe the goverment should be thanked for ending slavery instead. Something that was NEVER done. Where appologies for slavery has.



I also believe that thinking such as this further divides the people of this country and promotes further racisim instead of healing the past wounds.

Answer 6

Okay, yes, let's have the government apologize for slavery. Oh yeah...and let's have the government apologize for the many years when women were denied equal protection under the law. And let's apologize for the way Asians were treated with some of the exclusion laws that applied to them. And the government should apologize for the many, many years when child labor was tolerated here in the US; and I'm sure there are lots of white males who would like an apology for denial of employment/admission to schools and so forth because EEO quotas meant less-qualified minority applicants were given chances when there were white males with better qualifications that were denied.



FWIW, in my opinion, when the government makes legal redress to an injustice and tries to correct that injustice, that constitutes a sufficient apology for the injustice. Geez, it's hard enough to get Congress to do the work they're supposed to do during the two days a week or so they're in session. You want to tie them up with apology legislation and debate? Fuggedaboudit!!!!



Meaningful redress of injustice is the only thing that counts. An apology is implicit in such redress.

Answer 7

There are no African Americans alive today that ever experienced slavery. The majority of them didn't even experience segregation. Why should the government apologize to people who weren't wronged in any way. If this question was asked 150 years ago I would say yes, but now it's irrelevant.

Answer 8

Yes, I do think so. African Americans were very badly deprived of their rights by the US government. Even though nobody alive today was a slave, the harm done during slavery, i.e. the subjugation of an entire class of people, is still hurting people today. They deserve at least an apology for that.



However, I would make a distinction that while the US government should be accountable for what it did two hundred years ago, it is not reasonable to hold any individuals responsible for what their ancestors did. You can certainly blame people for their own actions, and God knows there is still plenty of bigotry out there, but you can't expect an apologetic attitude from your neighbor for what his great-great-grandfather did.

Answer 9

The US government owned not a single slave. It did not use them to build anything. The slaves were owned by such people as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and countless others. Just because they were representatives of the government doesn't mean that the government owned the slaves.



I think you should do some research and find out what descendant's relatives actually owned slaves and ask them for that APOLOGY.

Answer 10

So much blood was shed for this cause that I believe the blood was the apology. If you wish to continue apologizing for this great wrong just pick out someone and apologize. What we need to do is put it behind us and get on with life. We lost a great American Martin Luther King, Jr. because we keep dragging out this old issue. Neither blacks nor whites seem to be able to put it behind them. Forgive and go on.

Answer 11

Yes I think anyone that owned slaves should apologize for it. We have not been the government that allowed slavery since the civil war. What is left to apologize for? Who in the US was actually a slave? If we want to go back far enough most white people were slaves at one point in history too.

Answer 12

Yes. The U.S. has apologized to the Japanese and the Native Americans for similar bad situations. In some cases reparations have been paid.



For those who say we weren't alive then: right you are, but the effects of the discrimination are still with us today. If you don't think so, you must enjoy the luxury of being white.



For those who say it wouldn't matter: wrong you are. Haven't you noticed in your own life that if someone who has hurt you apologizes later, it helps you let go of the situation and move on?



For those who say why should we: because our government long ago did something wrong, and they should admit it. It always helps heal a bad situation if someone admits they wronged someone else. Everyone in our country, no matter what color, would benefit from racial healing and racial equality



For those who say "they've gotten enough": have you ever gone to visit a school in the poor part of town nearest you? If not, do.

Answer 13

I will give you a rational answer. As with any lawsuit, (and MANY will settle for an apology), you have to prove your case.

So you first have to have some one who is alive and has been enslaved, and then find someone who is alive who enslaved them.

Oh child-your problems are not because of slave owners. Please get rid of that chip on your shoulder, stop the blame, and do something with your life.

FACT: The blacks are the ones killing and oppressing blacks. As for the thumbs down-BRING IT ON! I have come to expect that from people who want to blame and avoid responsibility.

Answer 14

I think the fact that economically, especailly comared to Africa, Black people that have African Heritage, are doing far better here in The States then they ever would in Africa, Health is better, Future is better. So, the slavery was horrible but the apology should be un-needed at present time, it's over. Everybody struggles.

Answer 15

no. I (nor anyone I know) have never owned an African slave. I have never met a person of African decent who was brought over or born or ever lived as a slave. I'm just not sure who should be on the giving or receiving end of this apology.



How about this - lets stop carrying the guilt (and the exploitation of that guilt) of slavery on our backs.

Answer 16

No, I'm truly sorry that it was a dark part of American history'

but an apology today wouldn't be sincere (we still do not have

a world of color blindness as we should) and cannot correct

the wrongs of yesteryear.

Answer 17

An apology implies guilt, no one living has any guilt for slavery, slavery was a very evil thing done by people in the PAST. We all need to move on.

Answer 18

no one was alive when blacks were slaves so i dont think anyone should have to apologize for what their ancestors did years ago. an apology would be more deserving to the blacks that were actual slaves but since none are alive, i guess an apology would not benefit. blacks should take what happened and learn from it and be thankful that we do not endure such treatment as our ancestors did. racism is still alive but nothing severe as the past. we are blessed.

Answer 19

Absolutely not. There's no reason why a group of people who've never owned slaves should have to apologize to a group of people who've never been slaves.

Answer 20

I don't see the point. Nobody alive today is repsonsible for past slavery and about 500,000 white people died to free the slaves. Personally, I'm sorry there was slavery -- but it was socially acceptable at the time and had existed for thousands of years.

Answer 21

NO! if you will look in the history books you will find that americans were only doing what africans were already doing. Americans bought slaves from other africans

Answer 22

By whom? I'm certainly not apologizing for anything I have not done. Are we going to track down the descendants of any slave owners and force them to apologize?

Answer 23

no, none of the people who were enslaved are around and no one who enslaved them is around. You can not have a sincere apology for something you did not do and the people asking for it had nothing wrong done to them.

Answer 24

No they should get an apology from their native people for selling them into slavehood. But unfortunately, those people have passed away a long time ago. So get over it.

Answer 25

Apology..... if there are any apologies.. it should be to the Native Americans... all the things that have been done to them. We arent demanding apologies..so why should the african americans be demanding one. if they are.. they were freed along time ago.

Answer 26

Any apologies due should come from AFRICAN slave hunters who sold AFRICAN slaves to AFRICAN slave traders. Nobody from the US Government was involved in that process, were they?

Answer 27

I don't think so. Why should we apologize for what someone else did? Also, the blacks who are alive today were never slaves, so why are they owed any apologies?

Answer 28

Omro Guy has the facts. God bless the African Americans and may they all do as well as Colin Powell, Condileeza Rice, M.L.K.Jr. etc. instead of dwelling on wether or not they r owed (or will ever get) an apology.

Answer 29

I think everybody should apologize to everybody .

Over the years in history a lot of harm was done to all kinds of people from all kinds of races , country .....you name it .

So don't keep crying about slavery .

Because a lot of people could keep crying ....but they don't ...they move on .

So move on ....it's history !!!!

Answer 30

I think freeing them in 1865 and affirmative action has been more than enough of an apology.

Answer 31

we did in 1973

Answer 32

did the gov. not apologize when they fought a war to free the slaves?

Answer 33

No. because it was their tribal leaders that sold them. And America wasn't the first nation to have slaves.

Answer 34

No freedom was enough of an apology, but if their was one i don't think it would change anything.

Answer 35

no why should they it was there ancestors that were slaves not them and it was our ancestors who; inslaved them not us why do we owe them for something we didnt do?

Answer 36

absolutely, positively NO!!