I don't agree with slavery and feel sorry for people who were considered property and suffered abuse in the our Country's early years. It always pained me to imagine families being split or a man's wife (wife of a slave) being brought to the "Big House" for exploitation but dayum......the people alive today who an "Apology" means a lot to need to let go, get a freakin job and get over it. I didn't own any slaves, and since The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in1863-no one alive today did either. What's next, are we going to pay the ancestors of slaves for "Building our country"? We are, the government programs are a huge part of our budget. Here's the people I've always felt sorry for- they had things (Land, property, etc.) and we (The white man) took them and penned them up on reservations. Though I'm not a student of history, I'd imagine many, overall, had it better in the US than they would have had in Africa. For all the injustices, at least they had food and shelter. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070225/ap_on_re_us/slavery_apology
The 13th amendment freed the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was a political ploy that carried no weight.
Tell that to the ones who'd escaped to the Union side and the thousands freed each day as Union armies conquered the South. By the summer of 1865, some four million (Estimated) were freed and the 13th amendment in 1866 freed only the slaves of Delaware and Kentucky, as everywhere else the slaves had been freed by state action or by the federal government's Emancipation Proclamation The Amendment was a means to guarantee the permanent abolition of slavery.
I think every former slave owner should be required to pay $10 million dollars in penalties. I think every former slave should be awarded $1 million dollars in reparations. Since all of the above are dead, there will be a net exchange of $0. Meanwhile those of us living today should be dealing with 21st century problems, not 19th century problems. The freed slaves should have been given their 40 acres and a mule in the 1870's when it would have done some good. It didn't happen and it is now too late to do anything about it. It is quite beyond me to understand how people who owned no slaves can help people that were never slaves by issuing meaningless apologies.
That is bunk. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in areas of active rebellion against the so called union. How could the Yankee governemnt free the slaves of another soverign nation? In cities like New Orleans, which fell early in the war, slavery lasted until the Louisiana legislature abolished it as required by reconstruction. The Emancipation Proclamantion was issued in the hopes of causing a slave revolt. It didn't happen. Lastly, the Union armies didn't start freeing slaves until the total war strategy was adopted. Even then this was done to destroy Confederate infastructure, not out of the goodness of the hearts of the Yanks. A large number of slaves "freed" by Union armies were forced into combat on behalf of the Union or sold back into slavery in Kentucky, Maryland, or Delaware.
I guess this apology settles it. While we're at it, on behalf of the Acheans, I'd like to apologize to the good people of Troy.
My Great-Great Grandmother was stolen by the evil white man from our tribe (Creek). Hardly a day goes by that I dwell on this fact. When people start clamoring for reparations I think how utterly ridiculous the idea is. My blood is so diluted now that my kids don't qualify for BIA funding for college. After some point in time you have to assume responsibility for yourself. My dad stepped out and did what it took to break our family out of the cycle of excuses. It was difficult, but he is a man of dignity.
I found print stating both of our positions but the more credible ones uphold yours and I'm no student of history so you're probably correct. I don't remember- I've been out of school too long. :yelwink2: I find it funny how our history could be so innacurrately documented in different sources though- I guess it's as the author wants to portray it- like you said about it being political would make sense. Regardless, nobody alive today owned slaves. Calling it "Bunk" was funny. :thumb: In hindsight, prolly nice too.:thumb:
The victors write the history. We are all indoctrinated in the myth of Honest Abe Lincoln and the noble Union government fighting the evil south to free the poor slaves.
