Reparations for slavery and the subsequent racism in America is a recurring idea that has some ardent supporters, but others who are just as adamant that Blacks should get nothing for what their ancestors suffered. This course examines the history of slavery from ancient times through the Civil War. We will examine calls for reparations in other settings, such as the Japanese internment during World War II, the Korean comfort women, the Tuskegee syphilis test, German reparations to the Jews for the Holocaust as slaves for their labor during World War II and thefts of art. We will then focus on the current call for reparations, the justness of its claim, the problems with reparations, and reparations already made. Finally, we will look at the alternatives to money as an answer to the cry for restorative justice.
Class size limit: 150.
Suggested Reading:
David B. Davis, "Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World," Eric Foner, "Reconstruction, America's unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877," David McCulough, "Truman," James T. Patterson, "Grand Expectations, The UInited States 1945-1974"
