GOP Senate candidate suggests white people be paid reparations from the Civil War

Angelina Velasquez
·3 min read
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Reparations
reparations

U.S. Senate hopeful Bernie Moreno believes that white descendants of Civil War soldiers who died during the battle are owed reparations. As some may recall from their days in school, the bloody battle between the Northern and Southern states broke out in 1861 when tensions between the territories reached a boiling point.

The North had grown more industrial, while the South fought to preserve slave labor as the crux of large-scale farming. While slavery was, without a doubt, a component of what led to the war, the larger issue was the South’s fight to overrule federal authority that was threatening to upend their labor force and westward expansion.

The Republican businessman is a native of Columbia, who, along with his family, legally emigrated to America when he was five years old. He is also known for his support of former President Donald Trump. On Friday (April 21), a clip from the GOP candidate’s April 18 event in Ohio began circulating. In it, Moreno lays out his argument for reparations.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants,” he began as he went on to name-drop John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. “This group of people took on the largest empire in history and said, ‘No, we will not stand for this.’ And won. That same group of people later, white people died to free Black people.”

He continued, “They make it sound like America is a racist, broken country… You know, they talk about reparations. Where are the reparations for the people in the North who died to save the lives of Black people? And I know it’s not politically correct to say that, but we gotta stop being politically correct.” The eyebrow-raising claim has stirred a slew of responses from history buffs who said white people have been given more than their fair share of resources.

“The Union soldiers were paid at least $13/month plus a sign-up bonus of around $300. Black Union soldiers were paid $7. Sgt. William Walker was executed for protesting for equal pay. Also, many white soldiers deserted and reenlisted to collect the bonus again,” wrote one person.

“White people in the South DID get reparations for loss of property!!!” and “The Civil War wasn’t fought to end slavery. It wasn’t fought to free people. Lincoln only signed the Emancipation Proclamation because the North was losing. They didn’t die trying to free or save anybody,” wrote two others.

Some other comments include: “I swear they don’t know the history they claim to love. Who was paid for the ending of slavery and lost income? Hint: It wasn’t Black people.”

“Well, let’s count the ways… their ancestors received a fair salary for their service. They also received a veterans pension, and their widows were taken care of as well. Now let’s do their Black counterparts…”

“Right next to the reparations for the 200,000 Black soldiers who fought in the Union Army. Hello, history?”

Take a look at Moreno getting a rise out of his supporters over his reparations comment below.

 

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