Senate resolution apologizes for slavery, offers no reparations
The U.S. Senate today adopted a resolution offering a formal apology for slavery and the era of “separate but equal” Jim Crow laws that followed, CQ Politics reports.
The resolution doesn’t call for reparations. In fact, it includes a disclaimer stating that the measure does not authorize or support reparations for the descendants of African slaves brought to the United States before the Civil War, CQ Politics says.
That language drew criticism from some members of the Congressional Black Caucus. “If that is what it says, I don’t support it,” said Rep. Maxine Waters , D-Calif.
Last year, the House also adopted a resolution offering an apology. But it said nothing about reparations.
According to CQ Politics, the sponsor of that measure, Rep. Steve Cohen, a white Democrat from Tennessee who represents a largely black district, said the House might act again this year.
The CQ Politics article says:
“The House may do a resolution similar to the Senate or just rest on the one we passed last year,” said Cohen.
“I think it’s historic that the Senate passed a resolution,” he said, adding that the Senate would not have acted if the House had not adopted his earlier resolution last year. Cohen said he would prefer a resolution that was silent on reparations, but said he understood why the disclaimer was needed for Senate passage.
CQ Politics reports this response from Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill.:
“Some in the black community will dismiss this resolution. Some will say that words don’t matter — that the actions of our forefathers cannot be undone,” Burris said. “But words do matter. They matter a great deal.”
Burris acknowledged that the reparations disclaimer concerned him. “I want to go on record making sure that that disclaimer in no way would eliminate future actions that may be brought before this body that may deal with reparations,” he said.
(3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)
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Steve Parker is the deputy managing editor for news, and oversees the Post-Dispatch's front page. STLtoday's online news editors are on his newsroom team. Parker has been at the paper since September 1980. 
Hey, sorry about the kidnapping, forced labor, and intentional destruction of your family structure.
Our bad.
P.S. We’re keeping the money.
Wow, what an apology.
Still, at least its better than what the Indians got..
The Supreme Court established in Plessy v. Ferguson the concept of seperate but equal. This was the law of the land at that time. It remained the law of the land until overturned in the Brown decision. Attempts to rewrite history in the context of today ignore that fact. Slavery, as an institution, was protected in the Constitution. This was affirmed by Lincoln in his inaugural address as he addressed the states which were seceeding. Apologize for slavery? If it soothes your conscience,and makes you feel politically correct, thats fine; but the fact remains it was a legal institution, and attempts to condemn it by “modern” standards are ignorant of the historical facts.
I’d like to know how many of those members have ancestors that actually owned slaves. I am an American after the fact. I do not have to be sorry for anything somebody who lived before me did. I’m sick of these idiots we elect wasting time on crap like this when there are better things to do. You think Medicare and Katrina paved the way for fraud. Try handing out reparations. I’m sure I can find some African DNA inside me. We all came from there, you know?
Some of our black friends on this blog might be interested to know that THEIR OWN PEOPLE “sold” them into slavery. During tribal conflicts the conquered quite often were “sold” into slavery by the victors. American blacks who take the tour of any of the embarkation points in Africa are shocked when when they learn that THEIR OWN PEOPLE sold their ancestors into slavery.
Another aspect to slavery is that “blacks” were quite often the LARGEST and MOST SUCCESSFUL slave “traders”.
The movie “Amistad”, which chronicled the successful bid for freedom by slaves off a mutinied ship left out one important fact. As it was based on a true story, after gaining his freedom, the principle character “Cinque”, made many trips back to Africa to procure slaves. He ended up being one of the most successful black “slave traders” at that time.
Alex Haley’s inaccurate depiction of the “slave trade” has done MORE to poison “race relations” between the various races and blacks than any other medium. His depiction of the “White European” chasing and capturing slaves was DEAD WRONG. Slave procurement was done through tribal elders. Persons of color (blacks) please check these thing out for yourselves. You will find that these things are TRUE.
What a waste of taxpayer’s money! With all the REAL work to be done they are busy passing resolutions on a practice that stopped over 100 years ago! EVERYONE knows that slavery was bad, but we did not invent it! There is not one person in the US that was a slave or owned slaves…
@taxpayer:
You’re right, slavery is expressly condoned in the Constitution.
Does that make it OK?
There is a difference between what is legal and what is “right”. If your friends help you get away with murder, you are still a murderer. Even if your friends are senators.
The fact that it was legal doesn’t mean that it is “ignorant” to condemn slavery, as you claim. I think you are ignorant for pretending that an apology isn’t owed. Reparations would be a start, but this “christian” nation is far too greedy for that. We’d rather spend a Trillion murdering Iraqis than correcting our many problems here at home..
Fine, now, if we can just get Britain, France, the Dutch, the Africans, and all the European nations that were involved in the slave trade (long before we were) to join this group hug we can move on to really important issues. The last president who publicly apologized for the slave trade (Clinton in ‘98) was accused by the right of “grovelling and pandering” so I would advise President Obama to avoid that trap. I am also opposed to any reparations paid to anyone other than a living survivor of slavery and that would be in the form of the promised (by Gen. Sherman without authority) of 40 acres and a mule.
@Sarah:
“Slave procurement was done through tribal elders.”
So that makes it OK? LOL. You are going to Hell.
Seriously. Hell. Jesus would hate you.
123456-Yes, slavery was legal under the Constitution. I ask you to not judge what people thought was “OK” over 200 years ago. The philosphical argument you wish to pursue, legal vs. YOUR definition of right, is pointless. And, yes, an apology is NOT owed. What was done was legal, and in the context of the times, was acceptable to the majority of the population.The vast majority of our population immigrated AFTER the War of Northern Invasion. They had no part in enslaving, nor in freeing the slaves.
I would be more in favor of money to those whites who fought to free the slave.Those who gave their lives to emancipate your forefathers, and did so without reward or thanks from your people.
@123456
Since slavery began with the blacks in Africa thousands of years before they ever saw their first white man when are the black African tribes going to formally apologize to one another for enslaving one another?
Black on black slavery continues in Africa continues to this day, however, the news media refuses to report it.