On September 9, 2001, I was in my mother’s lap while she styled my hair for school. Suddenly, my mother froze, and told me that I was staying home from school that day. At the time, it didn’t register that my mother saw something on TV that scared her. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that while I was sitting in my room, happily watching Blue’s Clues, approximately 3,000 people had been killed that day.
Now, 15 years later, there is talk of a bill being pushed that would allow the families of the 3,000 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Yet, on September 12, President Obama made it known of his intentions to veto the bill that was unanimously passed by the House of Representatives on Friday, September 9, to which I say…good.
Obviously, the families of these victims are experiencing a pain that cannot be described. Of course they would want answers and compensation for what they went through in 2001. Be that as it may, we cannot sue an entire country for the acts of a single terrorist group, who just so happened to be Muslims from Saudi Arabia. All that will do is increase Islamophobia. Not to mention, the last time that an entire country was blamed for death casualties, it led to World War II.
Plus, if we really want to start paying compensation for the families of victims, then America is about to tack on even more debt. Anybody that’s paid attention in a history course knows that the American government performed multiple acts of injustice over the years. I can list just a few examples off the top of my head.
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882)
After being approved by President Chester Arthur, The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first time in American history that an entire ethnic group was prevented from immigrating to the United States. Chinese immigrants initially came to the United States to participate in the California Gold Rush, but as gold became harder to find, they were forced out of the mines and had no choice but to take low-wage jobs. Eventually, American workers complained that the Chinese were responsible for the low economy and were “taking jobs away from Americans.” Doesn’t that sound familiar? When the Act was passed, Chinese immigrant families were faced with two options: stay in the United States all alone, or go back to China to be with the rest of their family.
Eventually, the Act was repealed in 1943, when America needed China’s aid to fight against Japan in WWII. Yet, it wasn’t until 2014, 132 years later, that Congress issued a formal apology for the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Japanese Prison Camps (1942-1946)
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, mass feelings of hostility towards Japan caused Japanese-Americans to be put under scrutiny. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized Executive Order 9066, which designated “military zones” to deport Japanese-Americans into prison camps. The “reasoning” behind this was the fear that those of Japanese descent would side with Japan, and plan more attacks on the U.S.; despite that 2/3 of the relocated population were American citizens, and the rest had lived here for 20-40 years. Thus, 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes, and crammed into 10 “relocation” centers across the country. This situation was eerily similar to what was going on at the same time across the Atlantic Ocean.
A “Redress Movement” was started in the 1960’s, and finally acknowledged by President Gerald Ford in 1976. He declared what any rational citizen already knew about the internment camps, that they were a “national mistake”, and $20,000 in reparations were given to the Japanese Americans that went through interment in 1988. So eventually, Japanese-Americans were given compensation…42 years later.
Indian Removal Act (1830)
Honestly, when’s the last time you saw a Native-American family out and about in public? In the grocery store, at a park, or eating at a restaurant? If you’re like me, you’ve never seen such a domestic scene, because the indigenous people of America were one of the first ones screwed over by the colonists’ belief of Manifest Destiny.
The Indian Removal Act was approved during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, and made it so that the government could “negotiate” with Indian tribes for their ancestral land. This eventually led to the “Trail of Tears”, where Native American tribes were made to relocate into federal territory west of the Mississippi River. Never mind that their land was originally in the southeast, the colonists wanted the resources, and had a military that outranked theirs. So, Native Americans were kicked out of their land, shoved into a designated section, and expected to thrive off of it.
If you’re waiting for me to list the restitution that was eventually given to Native Americans, you’ll be waiting for a while.
African Slavery (1620s – 1863)
Do I even need to say it? For approximately 245 years, America made a point of treating an entire race of people worse than farm animals, and continued to refuse them the rights of citizens for another 101 years (1964). No type of restitution was ever given, despite it being an ongoing debate. Today, African-Americans are still fighting for basic rights, at least to make sure that we don’t have to be terrified to reach for our driver’s license anytime we get pulled over by a police officer.
In short, if America is ready to say that family members can sue an entire country for “pain and restitution”, then America needs to be ready to be brought to trial, themselves.
Sidney Campbell
Deputy Editor and Chief
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