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The Slavery Of Slavery And Slavery

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Bills! Bills! Bills! In 1619, the first enslaved Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia. Their sole purpose was to work the fields picking and farming profitable crops such as cotton and tobacco. It is estimated that between 1700 and 1800 six to seven billion enslaved Africans were brought to the American shore (Slavery). Life as an enslaved African was more than tough, it was appalling. Slaves were prohibited from becoming literate, they were restricted in every aspect, whether it was in movement or behavior, and they were punished severely. Slave masters “took sexual liberties” with enslaved women, which was thought to be a tactic to procreate slaves (Slavery). According to that interpretation, slave masters were fueled to …show more content…

In 1865 Black codes were enacted, which denied African Americans the right to serve on juries, vote, join state militias and or start a job without permission from their previous employer. Pig Laws went into effect around the same time of Black Codes and they harshly penalized Black Americans for petty crimes such as handing out felonies for stealing farm animals. Both Black Codes and Pig Laws were repealed by 1877 but rewritten into Jim Crow Laws, which enforced racial segregation and were a way continue to treat African Americans as inferior (Black). All three of these oppressive laws have habitually traversed into the justice system today. Prisons are overpopulated with Africans Americans, some of which have received harsh sentences for petty crimes, similarly to the Pig Laws. Black Americans have endured so much pain and overcame many obstacles. They have yet to receive reparations, but they have been apologized to. In 2008, the United States house of representatives issued an apology to African Americans for slavery and Jim Crow Laws. The apology resolution was drafted by Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee (Walsh).
On January 3rd, 2017 during the 115th Congress and the 1st session, H.R.40 was introduced was introduced to the house. H.R.40 is the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act.” The bill is sponsored by

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