The importation of African slaves into the United States was banned by law in 1807. However, in the decades that followed, some were smuggled into the country on “slave ships”.  The last instance of this occurred when the Clotilde, shown in a period painting at left, arrived in Mobile, Alabama in 1859.

After the “Emancipation Proclamation” was signed by President Lincoln in 1863, all slaves held in bondage in the States of the Confederacy were declared to be free when they escaped into Union lines.  Later Amendments to the Constitution codified the concept that all people born in the territory of the United States were considered citizens. 

Although these Amendments were meant only to protect the rights of the freed blacks, the unintended consequence was that ALL peoples born here, whether their parents arrived in our country legally or not, were granted “Birthright Citizenship”.  This has since become a magnet, drawing millions of people to enter our country illegally, and give birth to so-called “anchor babies”, which then hopefully will allow their parents to remain, and also start the phenomena of “chain migration”.

Now, as the politics of the 2020 Presidential Election cycle have begun, there is a call by many of the Democratic Party politicians for financial “Reparations” to be paid to the descendants of former slaves in compensation for what their ancestors suffered.  This is a “Pandoras Box” that they may soon rue to have opened.

In the first place, most of the descendants of Caucasian, Asian or Latino Americans came to this country in the late 1800s or early to mid 1900s.  As such, they never owned slaves, but in fact were themselves greatly impoverished when they arrived on our shores.  Virtually every group, from the Chinese to Irish or Italians, and everyone in between,  were ostracized and vilified by the immigrants who came before them, who viewed the newcomers as competitors for jobs and resources.  It must be stressed that America has never offered equal results, only equal opportunity to compete for success and wealth.

With that said, it also must be acknowledged that for many years, during the era of segregation in the south, black Americans were indeed prejudiced against, and denied opportunities to advance, in those areas of the country.  However, after the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and early 1960s, “Equal Rights” legislation was passed to address that injustice.  From 1965 on, American blacks have enjoyed not equal, but preferential treatment when it came to hiring and educational opportunities.  Whites, Latinos and Asian students were consequently denied access to many of our most prestigious educational institutions, and blacks were promoted over others in many areas where their demonstrated aptitude or performance didn’t justify it.  This practice has generated understandable angst among those who have earned the right to the educational opportunity or job advancement, with the financial rewards that entailed.

So now, demanding not only preferential treatment and set asides, but also financial reparations to be paid for by a society which did not commit the crimes against the ancestors of black Americans will only further divide our nation.  We should indeed be working towards a non-hyphenated society based on merit, and nothing else.  Only then, and not before, can we all be assured that we will be a nation of “Liberty and Justice for all.”