Reparations for slavery facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Reparations for slavery means trying to make up for the terrible things that happened during slavery, especially for the people who were enslaved and their families. This idea is about fixing past wrongs.

Reparations can come in many forms. They might include:

Money payments to individuals or groups.
Scholarships for education.
Waiving fees (meaning not having to pay certain costs).
Special programs to help people who were harmed by slavery.
Giving back land that was taken.
Official apologies and statements that recognize the injustice.
Symbolic actions like naming buildings after important people, or changing street names that honored slave owners.

People have been talking about reparations for slavery for a long time. In North America, discussions about reparations go back to at least 1783. More recently, especially around 2020, there have been stronger calls for reparations in the United States. This is partly because of protests about unfair treatment and racism.

Even though many people have asked for reparations, international efforts have mostly focused on recognizing the injustice of slavery and offering apologies, rather than giving money.

Reparations Around the World
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Reparations Around the World

United Kingdom

Payments to Slave Owners

After slavery was ended in British colonies, the British government passed a law in 1837 called the Slave Compensation Act 1837. This law paid about £20 million to slave owners as "compensation" for freeing enslaved people. This was a huge amount of money, about 40% of the government's yearly budget at the time. Today, that would be like £16.5 billion! The enslaved people themselves received nothing.

African Reparations Movement (ARM UK)

In 1993, a group called the African Reparations Movement (ARM UK) was formed in the UK. This happened after a big meeting in Nigeria called the First Pan-African Conference on Reparations. At this meeting, a statement called the Abuja Proclamation was made.

A British Member of Parliament (MP) named Bernie Grant supported this idea in the UK Parliament. He said that the world owed a "moral debt" to African people because of slavery and colonization. He also pointed out the lasting economic and personal problems caused by this exploitation and the racism it created.

ARM UK had several goals:

To get reparations for African people who were enslaved and colonized.
To get African artifacts (like art and historical items) returned from other countries.
To get an apology from Western governments for slavery.
To make sure African people's contributions to world history were recognized.
To educate young African people about their rich cultures and civilizations.

After Bernie Grant passed away in 2000, ARM UK became less active.

Recent Efforts in the UK

In 2004, a lawyer tried to sue a big insurance company, Lloyd's of London, for their role in insuring slave ships. However, the case was not successful.

In 2006, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he felt "deep sorrow" for Britain's part in the slave trade, calling it "profoundly shameful." But some activists felt this wasn't a strong enough apology and wanted financial compensation.

In 2007, Ken Livingstone, who was the Mayor of London at the time, publicly apologized for London's role in the slave trade. He asked the British government to create an Annual Slavery Memorial Day.

Africa

In 1999, a group called the African World Reparations and Repatriation Truth Commission asked Western countries to pay a huge amount of money, $777 trillion, to Africa within five years.

In 2001, the United Nations held a big meeting in South Africa about racism. At this meeting, a resolution was passed saying that Western countries owed reparations to Africa because of the racism and problems caused by the Atlantic slave trade. Many African leaders supported this.

Caribbean

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a group of 15 countries in the Caribbean that work together politically and economically.

In 2013, a historian named Sir Hilary Beckles suggested that CARICOM countries should ask for reparations, similar to how Jewish people received compensation after World War II. Following his advice, the CARICOM Reparations Commission was created in September 2013.

In 2014, 15 Caribbean nations presented a "Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice." This plan asked for reparations from European countries for the lasting harm caused by the Atlantic slave trade. Their demands included:

Formal apologies (not just "statements of regret").
Help for displaced Africans to return to their homelands.
Programs to help Africans learn about their history.
Support for better education, health, and mental well-being for descendants of enslaved people.

Caribbean countries have said they want to take this issue to the International Court of Justice, but so far, no official action has been taken.

Antigua and Barbuda

In 2011, Antigua and Barbuda asked the United Nations for reparations. They argued that the effects of slavery and violence against people of African descent had harmed their countries' ability to grow.

In 2016, Ambassador Sir Ronald Sanders asked Harvard University in the United States to make up for its connection to slavery. He pointed out that one of Harvard Law School's first professors, Isaac Royall Jr., used money from his slave plantation in Antigua. Sanders suggested that Harvard should offer yearly scholarships for students from Antigua and Barbuda.

Barbados

In 2012, the government of Barbados set up a Reparations Task Force. Barbados has been a leader in calling for reparations from former colonial powers for the injustices of slavery.

As of 2023, the Barbados National Task Force on Reparations is seeking reparations from a wealthy British MP, Richard Drax. His family still owns a large estate in Barbados that was once a slave plantation. If he refuses to return the estate, the Barbadian government plans to take the matter to international arbitration.

Guyana

In 2007, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo formally asked European nations to pay reparations for the slave trade. He said that even though some countries recognized their role, they needed to do more. In 2014, Guyana's Parliament created a "Reparations Committee of Guyana" to study the impact of slavery and make formal demands.

Haiti

Haiti became independent from France in 1804 after a difficult war. However, France then demanded that Haiti pay 90 million francs to the French government and former slave owners. This was supposedly for the "loss" of enslaved people and the profitable plantations they had built. Haiti had to borrow money from French and American banks to pay this huge debt, which wasn't fully paid off until 1947.

In 2003, Haiti's President Jean-Bertrand Aristide demanded that France pay Haiti back over US$21 billion, which is what the 90 million francs would be worth today.

Jamaica

In 2004, a group of activists in Jamaica, including members of the Rastafari faith, asked European nations involved in the slave trade to fund the resettlement of 500,000 Rastafari people in Ethiopia. They estimated this would cost about £72.5 billion. The British government rejected this demand.

In 2012, the Jamaican government restarted its reparations commission to consider asking Britain for an apology or reparations. In 2021, Jamaica again looked into seeking about £7 billion in reparations for the harms of slavery, including the money Britain paid to former slave owners.

United States

Slavery officially ended in the United States in 1865 after the American Civil War. About four million African Americans were freed at that time.

Support for Reparations

For many years, a bill called the "Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act" has been proposed in the U.S. Congress. This bill would create a group to study how slavery affected the social, political, and economic life of the nation. Some cities and organizations in the U.S. have started their own reparations programs.

In 1999, activist Randall Robinson wrote that the history of racism and discrimination in America had caused huge financial losses for African Americans. Economist Robert Browne estimated that reparations should aim to put the Black community in the same economic position it would have been in without slavery and discrimination. He estimated this could be anywhere from $1.4 trillion to $4.7 trillion.

In 2014, journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote an important article called "The Case for Reparations." He talked about the ongoing effects of slavery and unfair laws (like Jim Crow laws) and renewed calls for reparations. He pointed out that Congress's failure to pass the reparations study bill showed a lack of willingness to fix past wrongs.

In 2016, a group of experts from the United Nations encouraged the U.S. Congress to pass the bill to study reparations. They noted that there is still a lot of racial inequality in the United States.

The topic of reparations gained more attention in 2020, especially with the Black Lives Matter movement, which included reparations as one of its goals.

Opposition to Reparations

Not everyone supports reparations for slavery. A study in 2014 showed that only 37% of Americans thought enslaved people should have received money after being freed. Even fewer, only 15%, believed that descendants of enslaved people should receive cash payments today. The study found a big difference between Black and White Americans on this issue. For example, only 6% of White Americans supported cash payments to descendants, compared to 59% of Black Americans.

In 2014, journalist Kevin D. Williamson wrote an article called "The Case Against Reparations." He argued that "The people to whom reparations are owed are long dead."