this just seems insane to me. suing companies for "crimes" committed 140 years ago at a time when they were perfectly within the law to be doing what they were doing. i think its dangerous to apply modern moral standards to the past.

Well, they weren't all "perfectly within the law." As it was illegal to participate in the slave trade in all English colonies after circa 1830s. And slavery was illegal in the northern U.S. States well before the Civil War (I'm sure you remember the Dred Scott case?) So, technically, these companies knowingly operated where slavery was both legal and illegal. They weren't unaware of what they were doing.


edit: just to perfectly clear, i do not now, nor have i ever, supported the idea that slavery was a good or moral thing. but again, that's something we've decided now. back then, it was a raging topic of debate. i for one am certainly glad the practice of slavery was ended in the u.s.

Again, remember, slavery was illegal in various parts of the U.S. well before 1864 (i.e. Bloody Kansas).

Also, I must point out, that it is curious to me that no one seems to think that maybe these women - and the lawsuit in general - is trying to make a larger point.

One: To remind us that much of the economic strength of these companies in the suit was achieved through slave labor

Two: To remind us that African-Americans still face hurdles as a result of slavery (i.e. KKK, poverty, unemployment, etc.) [I hasten to add that many other groups deal with this, as well.]

Three: That there are people who are very much alive today that can remember a time when life was much more difficult, and that we should honor and respect them. For they are harbingers of history, and to call them "dumb hos" as Chorabliss did above, is disgraceful

Four: To get a conversation like this going in the first place. We cannot expect one month a year to represent hundreds of years of history - for blacks OR whites. Slavery was a very real, lived experience, and to say that "Gee, whatever, its over now and that was, like, a long time ago" negates the enormous impact it had on the development of the U.S., the Civil Rights movement, and the significance of Colin Powell being able to occupy such a position of power.

Alright, obviously I could go on here.....but my main point is, critically think about what may be going on with this case, and maybe, just maybe, you won't be so quick to judge.

Okay - one more point....I, personally, believe repairations are not a viable answer. I believe that it is much more vital to inform the public of the impact of slavery on our society. That is not a "you don't/can't understand" statement, either. Until I really started studying historic era archaeology, I had no idea, either. But I am hard-pressed to come up with anything in our current society whose roots do not stem from our colonial and antebellum era activities. Whether "good" or "bad", to not understand it is the real crime, in my eyes. So take a moment and think about what is being said, rather than assuming.


Alana

Trying not to choke on hope.