patrick.net

Aside from the intolerable uncompensated work for centuries, the murder, destruction of families and so on that resulted from slavery, what did the Europeans do to make up for their atrocities?

Starting after emancipation, they created the Convict Lease programs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convict_lease

But, surely, after the slaves were freed, and the convict lease program was underway, at least they could vote.

Unless you count the hurdles, like literacy tests and poll taxes, or lynching to prevent them from exercising their franchise.

Well, you say, at least they were free (aside from the economic, political or any conventional sense)! Free at least to marry whoever they wanted! Unless that person was white (until 1967)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia

Oh! Dang...I almost forgot about Jim Crow! And our prison industrial complex! And the destruction of the Manufacturing sector, Unions, the Post Office and other methods that the black community used to use to lift themselves up.

It would be a lot easier to help themselves if the goddamned oppressors would take their boots off the black man's neck, I'd say.

Conversely, what positives have been done? Have they worked?

Apparently I've been asleep while all of the rapprochement has occurred? We can end affirmative action now, end the CRA, the VRA and make college super expensive. We can kill grants, destroy homeownership, accelerate African-American unemployment, imprison them disproportionately, and throughout, keep the spoils of their labor.

I mean, what's wrong with THEM?