Over 250 years ago, the founding fathers of the south bought slaves in order to raise the production rate of the south. During that time, many were oppressed and never recovered. Now, ancestors of slaves are demanding reparations in the form of money in order to heal their wounds that were opened up by the acts of the U.S. government and slave owners. A question needs to be asked, is this really necessary? The acts of the founding fathers are exactly that, the founding fathers" acts. Why should the American public be forced to pay for their acts? Why should immigrants who were not affected by either side of slavery be forced to pay for something they had nothing to be involved with? An exploration into why the living descendents of slaves should not receive reparations along with explanations is something that needs to be addressed in today's society.
A question that should be addressed is that of why should American citizens be forced to pay for the actions of their ancestors? Representative Henry Hyde, along with many other politicians agree on the fact that, "I never owned a slave. I never oppressed anybody. I don't know that I should have to pay for someone who did [own slaves] generations before I was born," (Slavery Reparations). This view is not just limited to politicians but to 67% of Americans, which shows that the majority of America does not feel that they need to pay for reparations (Reasons). In 1861, less than 10% of the U.S. owned slaves which show that only a small number would be affected from the slavery reparations (Reparations). Richard America, professor at Georgetown University estimated a figure of $5 to $10 trillion as the amount the U.S. government owes African-Americans for "the slavery their ancestor's were forced to endure," according to a report by Black Voices (About.com). With figures of that magnitude, how would America be able to pay off reparations and continue to fund all the various programs that are taking place? Other estimates are more conservative, at $1.
