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There is a multitude of reasons why America should not pay restitution to the descendants of slaves. The first reason is that many Americans have a slave in their family tree and can trace that heritage back legally. Another reason is a question as to whether people of today should be held accountable for the crimes of the past. Finally, there is the fact that the money being paid to the descendants of slaves is coming from everyone's taxes, including the descendants'.

Descendants

The gene pool in America is varied. Many families have a slave, or a descendant of a slave, in their family tree. After all, this is a modern society, interracial marriages are the norm. Some family lines can be traced back to, sadly enough, a parentage between slave and owner.

Those children are still a descendant of a slave, but in a lot of ways, they were treated worse than the slaves. These children belonged to neither the slave's nor the owner's world and were denied by both. If not out-right killed. Should they still be able to get restitution? There are probably many out there who say no simply because they were born of the slave owner.

The fact is that every family in America has some heritage in slavery. Blacks weren't the only people sold into slavery. There were slaves in and from just about every culture on this planet. Throughout history, there were people who were viewed as lower life-forms because they looked different or came from the wrong-side of the tracks. These people were enslaved and made to work for the better people.

America may not have actually had anything to do with these slaveries, but it's guaranteed that some families with slaves of other cultures also came to America. They probably continued to have slaves while they lived in America. Like the African slaves, these other culture slaves were bought, sold, traded, or won. They were also treated like nothing more than property. Yet, they aren't being paid restitution.

Crimes of the past

If a man robbed a bank and was shot by the police, would his son then have to go to jail? No doubt the response to this question is, no. Then why hold all of America accountable for the actions of their ancestors. Many of these descendants of slaves also have the blood of the Americans that they so despised.

Restitution

Where do you think that the money to pay these descendants comes from? Taxes. Not just the taxes of the white people, but black people, Chinese, Mexicans, Canadians, etc. Some people who are paying taxes had nothing to do with the slave trade. Many were from families that came into America much later. Yet, these are the people who are actually paying the restitution.

Not to mention that half the country was actually against slave trade, but they too are paying taxes. The money going to descendants of slaves is not taken from specific peoples, but from all Americans.

Conclusion

Frankly, restitution is a waste of money. It's a bill that America can no longer afford. It speaks and reeks of favoritism and pandering or catering to the needs of the few over the needs of the most.

Get over it. Your life is not about what happened to your ancestor. And frankly, the north won, which means that a majority of people disagreed with slavery. If those people, even whites, hadn't fought and died for your ancestor, then you wouldn't be free right now. America has already paid its price by losing many of its sons to earn your freedom.

Learn more about this author, Chrystina Trulove.
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