To Give or Not to Give: Reparations for Slavery (2025)

The taking of African slaves during the transatlantic slave trade produced one of the most horrendous episodes in human history. Its toil on human memory, mental health, generational poverty is undisputed. Should the descendants of these slaves be compensated under the original "40 Acres and A Mule" promise which the Freedman Bureau tried to fulfill but was met with political resistance? Does America have unfinished business regarding this chapter of its history, or does the upward mobility of African Americans prove that compensation for slavery is unnecessary? The efforts of the Freedmen's Bureau under President Johnson do confirm that African Americans were promised "40 Acres and a Mule." Furthermore, the landholdings of African Americans as farmers in the South confirms to a certain degree that land was transferred to some African Americans after slavery; whether this was compensation for slavery or by willing seller-buyer is investigated. If the U.S. government were to give reparations for slavery, what would that look like? Are there other models used throughout history which can give reparations for slavery the correct form? This is a sequel of "From Voodoo to Negro."