Reference Publications

Topic: RSS Feed

U.S. lawmakers consider official slavery apology

Jet, March 17, 2008

In the past year, five states have apologized for slavery, and the U.S. Congress is considering issuing its own apology, USA Today recently reported.

While it has apologized before, Congress has never apologized for slavery.

"We've seen states step forward on this," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), noting resolutions in Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia. "I'm really shocked, just shocked" that the federal government hasn't apologized. "It's time to do so."

Harkin said he and Sen. Sam Brown-back (R-KS) will propose an apology for slavery and subsequent "Jim Crow" laws that furthered racial segregation. According to the paper, among the bill's 14 Senate backers are Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

A similar House measure introduced in 2007 has 120 co-sponsors.

Congress apologized to Japanese-Americans in 1988 for imprisoning them in camps during World War II, giving each survivor $20,000. In 1993, Congress apologized to native Hawaiians for the overthrow of their kingdom a century earlier. In 2005, the Senate apologized for failing to enact anti-lynching laws.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

 

BNET TalkbackShare your ideas and expertise on this topic

Please add your comment:
  1. You are currently: a Guest |
  4.  

Basic HTML tags that work in comments are: bold (<b></b>), italic (<i></i>), underline (<u></u>), and hyperlink (<a href></a)

advertisement
Click Here
advertisement
  • Click Here
  • Click Here
  • Click Here
advertisement

Content provided in partnership with Thompson Gale

  • Your Work How to Win at Office Politics

    How to Win at Office Politics

    Like it or not, every workplace is a political environment. But operating effectively within it doesn’t have to mean sucking up, lying, or slinging dirt. In its purest form, office politics is simply about getting from here to there: securing a promotion, seeing an idea come to fruition, or gaining support to make an organizational change. Playing the game well is about defending your position, earning respect, exchanging favors, and keeping your sanity amid the chaos. To get started, you need to know what you really want from work, then orient your political moves toward those goals. It all starts with strong relationships and helping others; those people in return make up the support system that helps you realize your goals. Here’s how it’s done.

  • Your Industry The Five Worst Drug Companies of 2009

    The Five Worst Drug Companies of 2009

    These five companies have performed even worse than their peers and competitors. Investigations? Insider trading? Dirty factories? Recalls? Management churn? Scandals? They've got it all. In order of incompetence, BNET presents the five worst drug companies of 2009. Drumroll, please ...

  • Your Money Dumbest Things You Do With Your Money

    Dumbest Things You Do With Your Money

    Even smart people make financial moves that are downright illogical. Emotions and superstitions have a sneaky way of keeping you from rational financial decisions. But dumb choices can have serious, real-world consequences. Here are some of the biggest blunders we all make, plus tips from the experts on how to keep cool.