Apology for slavery?
by Owen Courrèges · 03/29/2007 3:37 pmThe Chron has an op-ed today from Patricia Bernstein, a Houston writer who contends that a resolution pending before the legislature for a formal apology for slavery simply doesn’t go far enough, because it doesn’t encompass the lynchings and Jim Crow.
I’ve always been of the opinion that apologies like this are silly and insulting; we’re a government of, by, and for the people, and thus our current government shouldn’t need to apologize for wrongs committed generations earlier, particularly when the apology amounts to little more than a divisive political stunt.
However, Bernstein justifies her proposal thusly:
Why is it so important to remember and memorialize the evil acts of the past when the same funds could be used to feed, house and educate people today? Why should we apologize for deeds committed by others long dead? Precisely because we are the only ones left to do it and someone must. And because our white ancestors, and ultimately we, benefited economically, socially and culturally from the mistreatment of others. Black Texans of the time, and ultimately their descendants, suffered and were deprived.
Bernstein first says that we have to apologize because “someone must.” Well, if nobody with a shred of culpability remains, that apology will be hollow and meaningless. Moreover, I’d like to think that the more than 500,000 men who gave their lives during the Civil War — which was largely faught over slavery — is more of an apology than words could ever give. As for Jim Crow, years of government spending and Affirmative Action take the pressure off any need for an apology.
Bernstein’s second point is that whites today still benefit economically from black subjugation and blacks today are still harmed. I don’t really believe this, at least not to the degree Bernstein apparently does. In any case, it’s hardly true for everyone. Many whites grew up poor or at least lower middle class, and have since “made it.” Many whites (like myself) at least have fathers who grew up destitute and yet managed to become successful — all over Jim Crow was over. You can’t easily attribute any racial benefit in these cases.
Besides, when is the upper threshold on the claim that whites are benefited and blacks are still harmed by past discrimination? It has been 43 years — more than two generations — since Jim Crow ended. When it has been more than 60 years, will we then be able to say that the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow have nothing to do with black poverty? In Grutter, Justice O’Connor posited that there would come a time when Affirmative Action would no longer be justified, placing that threshold at 2028. What should be clear is that this claim has a shelf life, and it’s getting stale.
Moreover, the black community needs to face the fact that its greatest problems have developed since Jim Crow ended. The high black illegitimacy rate developed after the 1960’s. Furthermore, a massive spike in black-on-black crime has developed since then. Black culture has gone from blues, jazz and rock to rap and hip-hop music that almost uniformly glorifies crime and the drug culture. These aren’t directly attributable to Jim Crow, either. Perhaps instead of looking backward to slavery and Jim Crow, it would be more fruitful if we looked for solutions to current problems.
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That’s a tar baby I hope never gets picked up.
No racial slur intended!
http://www.tomgpalmer.com/images/Tar_Baby2.jpg
When thay can find a slave that’s still alive, they can oficially apologize.
White-liberal neosoc guilt never makes for good official policy.
These official apologies are for paving the way for a lawsuit. The “Where’s my 40 acres and a mule?” lawsuits.
And if Tar Baby offends, read what it means:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_baby
Tar-Baby was a doll made of tar and turpentine, used to entrap Br’er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br’er Rabbit fought the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he became. In contemporary usage a tar baby refers to any “sticky situation”[1] that is only aggravated by efforts to solve it.
While they’re at it, why don’t they address the CURRENT slavery by BLACK MUSLIMS on BLACK CHRISTIANS currently going on in Sudan and N Africa??
And… get African countries that WILLINGLY PARTICIPATED to apologize for sending their own people over as slaves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_slave_trade
Owen, great post.
For the most part, people without valid disabilities who don’t make it in this country (black, white, whatever) don’t because they’re lazy and want a handout, period, end of story™.
A touchy subject but, slavery goes back to the bible….. if any of us trace our lineage far enough, we probably can find slavery. My problem is this. These people who are ancestors of slaves are in America. They do not find themselves in some African village, living in a hut 100 years behind modern America. These African Americans need to bless their forefathers for suffering to gain them opportunity. They would not have any had they not been sold. And must I state once again, African Blacks sold African Blacks into slavery. IF we give into this apology, people who never live up to their potential have an excuse, and yes this is all about money. Pay me for my forefathers hurt.
My ancestors(on both sides of my family) migrated to the USA in the late 1800’s. We have nothing to apologize for nor anyone to apologize to. And as far as reparations are concerned, if my federal tax dollars are used, that will be the end of my current favorable relationship with the Internal Revenue Service.
If she really cares about slavery. Tell her she can donate to Worldvision or any other group helping those in Sudan and N Africa.
http://www.worldvision.org/Worldvision/eappeal.nsf/egiftsudan?OpenForm&campaign=1184150&cmp=KNC-1184150n
Otherwise she’s pulling a “Free Tibet” so she can feel good at the next cocktail party she goes to. All the other Neosocs can slap her back and tell her what a brilliant and caring person she is and what an impact she’s making. The world wil be a better place when liberals actually get to work and do the stuff they talk about. Until then, get a sticker, write more pablum, pass useless legislation and blame someone else.
“Free Tibet”
Can we all say “REPARATIONS” because that is what this is leading to. If we apologize then some ambulance chasing attorney will try to interpret it as an admission of guilt punishable by “reparations”. Oh, think about his cut of the settlement. Look the government didn’t do it but they will be the ones expected to pay. And besides if people would check their history books the Civil War was not fought mainly over slavery but over state’s rights. It is easier to glorify if it was over slavery. And remember if you sue the slave owners here then the one’s in Africa who caught all the slaves are just as responsible for their enslavement. And from what I hear it still goes on there.
In regards to the social disenfranchisement claim, I’d like to quote Uncle Tupelo:
Down here, where we’re at
Everybody is equally poor
Down here, where we’re at
We don’t care what happens outside the screen door
The only people that need apologize here are the so called black leaders and liberals, aka poverty pimps, who have done their best to keep Americans of African descent in poverty, ignorance, and in prison.
Any American of any color who would read Booker T. Washington’s book, Up From Slavery, would know that success in America is merely a matter of effort and market conditions. Any American of any color, race, creed, etc. need only to make excuses to justify their failures.
There are too many success stories of Americans from all economic strata and ethnic background to permit the majority of us to tolerate the kind of nonsensical crap like this or that what came out during the past few days of the Shaquanda. If I’d tried the crap and self justification that Shaquanda and other excuse makers have tried, I would have been the victim of platoon sergeant punishment (my parents did not believe in corporal punishment….it was insufficient to make their point). If you want to know what it’s like to suffer and be lower than nothing, just trot your fanny down to your nearest Marine Corps recruiter and let them ship you off to your new caring and understanding drill instructors.
Uh oh. Sarge’s difficulty with blockquotes appears to be contagious.
In the interest of accuracy and truth, only 360,222
died trying to free the slaves. These were the Union casualties:
Battle deaths: 110,070
Disease, etc.: 250,152
Total 360,222
These were the Confederate casualties:
Battle deaths: 94,000
Disease, etc.: 164,000
Total 258,000
Of every 1,000 Federals in battle, 112 were wounded.
Of every 1,000 Confederates, 150 were wounded.
If any reparations are to be paid, first the blacks who made them slaves and THEN resold them must be pay first.
Second, the only thing the captured black slave thought was wrong with slavery is that they were the slavees, not the slavers. It was not until they were taught Christianity by white people that they came to have these values and understand that slavery was wrong….regardless of who held them as slaves. But were it not for white people, they would not have understood Christianity and western morals at all….and they would have gone right on capturing and selling slaves.
In the interest of accuracy and truth, no one died to free the slaves in that war. The War of Northern Aggression was fought to keep the South paying for the North’s benefits. It was and always will be about State’s rights. Lincoln and his politicos didn’t talk about freeing the slaves until they wanted the high ground at least two years after the North invaded the sovereign Confederacy.
I’ve written extensively about this. Read my old blog for details. I won’t repeat myself due to others’ inability to distinguish truth from propaganda.
This is the perfect example of the adage, “The victors write the history books.”
Secede, again!
Additional, the slaves were not freed until the post-war Amendments to the Constitution was passed.
Many erroneously believe it was Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation that did that. However, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the Confederacy over which, at a minimum arguably, Lincoln had no authority to do so. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free slaves in the so-called Border states like Kentucky, West Virginia, etc., because of the fear, if he did so, they would secede to the Confederacy.
From the moment I read Owen’s comment, I have been waiting to see who would be the first to say the Civil War was not about slavery.
There need to be no apologies or reparations paid by my family. None of my forefathers arrived in this hemisphere until at least 1900, long after slavery was abolished and the War of Northern Aggression had ended. My family owned no slaves. They arrived, working class and had to do jobs in manual labor like construction. My great grandfathers required their children to learn to speak, read and write english, even at home, and to be Americans. Each succeeding generation got more education, and improved their income and wealth.
As such, I resent any politician or elected leader apologizing on my forefathers’ behalf in regard to the enslavement of Africans in America, as there is nothing for which to apologize where my forefathers are concerned.
I am Christian.
Christians were Jews who followed Christ and became their own religion.
The Jews had been enslaved by the Egyptians.
Egyptians are Africans.
As a Christian, since the African Egyptians enslaved my forefathers the Jews, who owes who reparations?
If reparations are to be paid to descendents of slaves, what do the descendents of the Yankees who died fighting the Civil War get?
Will the Northern States apologize for their Black Codes? Btw, on which the Jim Crow laws were based on.
Will the Northern States apologize for all the loot they took with them when they raped and pilaged through the South?
Will the Northern States apologize for violating the South’s Article 5 protections? The South were States for the 13th (not the Corwin Amendment) but were kicked out for the 14th. The North turned out secessionist after all!
Will Massachusetts apologize for building ships desgined solely for the purpose of caryying slaves?
Will the Northern States apologize for the deliberate starvation of Confederate POWs in Elmira, New York? Everybody has heard about Andersonvile but have y’all heard of Elmira, aka Hellmira? The were a couple others infamous prisions in the North.
And on and on and on.
And on freeing slaves. Lincoln himself sacked Gen Fremont, uSA, when Fremont refused to undo Fremont’s Emancipation of slaves in Missouri. Lincoln needed the “property” as war booty.
In “liberated” South Carolina, the only “legally” held slave belonged to Gen Grant, uSA.
They already get reparations. It’s called WELFARE…
#21 ST
That’s awful. You just validated my comment from the other day.
Sarge, are you paying attention?
Shakey, I just validated MY comment from the other day.
Yeah, whatever.
Can anyone say, “bend over”…its coming…get your checkbook…
I’ve seen pictures of Italians who were lynched (sent to me in a photo album of black lynchings, by an AA friend of mine who obviously can’t get past his past). My grandfather’s family arrived in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Where is my cut of the pie?
/making shopping list
Oh Shakey, I still lubs ya and will be at your funeral when you get taxed to death! Muah!
I work next to a check cashing place and it boils my blood when I see people around the 1st of the month, pulling up in a Lexus, gold teeth, fine jewelry, cashing their checks. 1st the apology for something that I had nothing to do with, and then pay for something I had nothing to do with…
uhhh, I’m thinking that your black friends that are helping you move this weekend would agree…I know my black friends would agree with me. I sure hope Bigjolly can make it this weekend….Muah!
Apparently to the mush-minded morons who would propose such absurdity, the world can just not bend over far enough to smooch their collective butts for them enough.
This is putrid socialist drivel at it’s finest, that we should engage in this ridiculous self- flaggelation over something none of us had anything to do with. Of course, the real objective is to provide these shysters with another means by which they can engage in redistribution-of-the- wealth from people who actually worked and earned it!
Otherwise known as the tenets of Marxism!!! Since you are so enlightened and feel so compelled, why don’t you pay the tab for all of us?
Just think then how great you’ll feel for vindicating such injustice! No? That’s what I figured……..!
Even Hammie agrees with me on this one.
Ya got no case.
Hey! I just baked a shoo-fly pie. Y’unt suum? oops! (yankee version) Do you want some?
Your comment of the other day was that we were all necon racists.
It was a prejdiced, blanket statement that condemend an entire group of people without specificity.
Mr. Teapot, Meet Ms Kettle.
I have always found the ones who are continually obsessed with and continually accusing others of racism are usually the biggest racists
Or they are massivley prejudiced against other people in other areas of their life—poltically, religiously, economically. They think that if the scream loud and long enough about racial injustice, they can be excused for the other prejudices.
It helps if they get into a group of people who will pat them on the back for it. Things like calling conservatives, racists, homophobes, christian authoritarians and the like can make you very opular in certain groups of people.
Funny thing is, they are usually the ones who will scream the most about this country being “divided.”
#28. PB, if that’s not a C.O.W., I don’t know what is.
Apologize for slavery? Hell no. Slavery can be good. It keep the Hebrew nation alive in Egypt. I don’t condone it, but many people couldn’t exist otherwise.
#36 Thx for the vote of confidence LawrenceC!
You know, no one has been a slave and no one has owned slave here in over 150 years…..at some point these race pimps will have move on and stop using this tired excuse for rationalizing and deflecting criticsm for unseemly,unacceptable and criminal behavior.
they say Jessy’s is a reverend?
they say Al’s a reverend?
they preach their hate and racism from the pulpit.
Tax their churches and the ones that allow them to speak on political subjects.
Racism/reparations will never go away. It’s too big of a cash cow.
It’s too big of a vote getter.
Blacks are the new breed of Racists.
rj
#21;
damn right!
rj
so much to engange in here and so many hateful comments to respond to but I’lll just stick with the usual–
oy vey — “…that almost uniformly glorifies crime and the drug culture.”
Yes, there is hip-hop that glorifies crime and drugs. i’ll give you that. but as an art form — “uniformly” and “glorifies” are pretty strong words.
This is like saying that painters almost uniformly glorify the fruit industry becuase so many people buy painings of fruit bowls. Better yet, it is like saying country artists almost uniformly glorify drinking and cheating. A country song may be about those things, but the message often is “this really isn’t sucjha great idea.” Same with hip-hop.
There’s plenty of hip-hop out there that doesn’t glorify crime and drugs. And a good chunk of the hip-hop one might consider focused on crime and drugs are cautionary tales told in the first person.
I beg of LST writer’s to stop picking on hip-hop as an art form with such a broad brush.
undeadsinatra,
I listen to pop stations and watch MTV and VH1 often enough to draw my conclusions. Sure, there are rap and hip-hop songs that even have POSITIVE messages, but they strike me as not being the norm. Instead, you have videos and lyrics that demean women with rappers dressed in gang-style clothing throwing money at the camera (that’s an actual video, but you get similar themes in much of the genre).
In short, then, I think any positive messages in rap and/or hip-hop tend to be the exception rather than the rule. I don’t think this is really a controversial position.
have u eva herd of indentured servents