How Some Slave Owners Received Reparations, But Not Black Americans

<p>January 1st is the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the&nbsp;<em>Emancipation Proclamation,&nbsp;</em>an executive order<em>&nbsp;</em>declaring &quot;that all persons held as slaves&quot; within rebellious areas &quot;are, and henceforward shall be free.&quot; However, fewer people know that Lincoln signed the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/DCEmancipationAct.htm" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act</em></a>&nbsp;into law eight and a half months earlier, on April 16, 1862. Since enslavers in the nation&#39;s capital were unwilling to abolish slavery out of a sense of morality, the legislation enticed them to do so monetarily. Commissioners received 930 petitions, legally granting freedom to 2,989 enslaved people and paying $300 for each. While enslavers received financial compensation for their so-called &quot;loss of property,&quot; newly freed Black Americans received nothing for their &quot;loss of wages.&quot; Not one red cent. Zilch. Nada.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/afrosapiophile/how-some-slave-owners-received-reparations-but-not-black-americans-a3656d693fa7"><strong>Click Here</strong></a></p>