As I mentioned a few days back, a resolution was proposed in the Alabama legislature that would have the state apologize for its role in slavery.  Dan (here and here) and Wheeler have written some good pieces on the debate and I thought I would inject my own two cents.

First the particulars.  The resolution (text below) was proposed in the Senate by Hank Sanders of Selma.  Sen. Charles Bishop of Arley blocked the resolution and in the process called Sanders, a rotund black man, “Big Boy” on the Senate floor.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That we express our profound regret as a state which participated in the process of slavery, that we further atone for the involuntary servitude of Africans, and that we call for reconciliation among all Alabamians.

Slavery in America and Alabama was terribly wrong.  The people involved did a bad thing and the governments who permitted, endorsed, or participated in that practice also wronged many people.  From that point of view alone I don’t have a problem with the state of Alabama admitting remorse for its role in the trade of human flesh.

My initial reaction to the announcement of the resolution was that some legislators were trying to set the stage for reparations.  That is what I’ve heard previously when similar measures were proposed in other parts of the country and, with me not being a lawyer, the charge seemed plausible.  Wheeler (resident Alabama blogosphere lawyer) strongly asserts that this resolution would not set up the state for reparations litigation.  Given that I say why not pass the resolution.

According to Dan, Sen. Bishop is going to propose his own resolution - with different wording of course - that would be put before the Alabama voters.  That can only be a bad idea.  I can envision the national headlines if (when?) the voters of this great state refuse to apologize for enslaving people.

For the sake of argument, though, let’s play out the notion that this resolution or others would enable the pursuit of reparations.  I oppose reparations simply because I have not owned slaves and the people who would receive payments were never slaves themselves.  Having the government pay reparations is essentially taking the money out of my pocket since my taxes (not the taxes of the slave owners) would fund the payments.  There is of course the little issue of determining who deserves payment and what is the fair amount.

I will say that I think one would be foolish to argue that the institution of slavery does not have lingering effects.  Even decades after emancipation black citizens were not afforded basic rights enjoyed by whites.  I sincerely feel, though, that every person born in my lifetime has the same opportunity to succeed in this country even if their circumstances differ.  That reality is quickly eroding the inheritance of disadvantage.

And what if reparations are paid to descendants of slaves?  Does that mean that the Jesse Jackson’s and Al Sharpton’s of the world will no longer be able to use race and the legacy of slavery as racial weapons?  To put it bluntly, would we all be even?  I think that many black “leaders” (who don’t speak for all blacks) have blamed current cultural ills on past wrongs for so long that I don’t know if they’ll be able to give that up.  They might have to start pointing their fingers at themselves rather than at a generation of white people that played no role in the current plight of minorities.  Do you think it would cheapen the legacy of suffering to have it absolved with a check for just a few hundred or few thousand dollars?

Bottom line - slavery cannot be justified and our government did great harm to many people.  An apology is in order.  Reparations are not.

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This entry was posted by Brian on Friday, April 13th, 2007 at 8:31 pm and is filed under Alabama, Race Card. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Please note the copyright policy.