Without Us No U.S. (PB) (2021)

There are several reasons that African Americans can say accurately, on behalf of their enslaved African American Ancestors and themselves, "WITHOUT US, NO U.S." Just two of the reasons are the following:

1. Without the agreement to keep the African American Ancestors enslaved, the union of the thirteen colonies would not have been formed and the United States would not exist in its present form; and

2. Without the wealth created by the unpaid, forced, and very valuable labor of the enslaved African American Ancestors-the Founding LaborersR-that laid the economic foundation of the United States of America, this country would not be the economic power it is today.

The "Founding LaborersR" of the United States should be elevated to the high place-equal to the Founding Fathers-that they deserve in the history of the United States.

It is illogical for African Americans to be criticized for being at the bottom of almost every measure of economic success when a realistic analysis is that if African Americans had inherited the tremendous wealth created by their enslaved African American Ancestors, African Americans would today be more competitive economically.

One interesting statistic is that in 2013, black women earned 64 percent of the amount white men earned, and black men earned 75 percent. Apparently, America still treats the descendants of the enslaved persons as "three-fifths of all other persons"-or little more than that-just as the original Constitution did. (Three-fifths is 60 percent.) Fairness requires some form of reparations to correct this imbalance!

The African American Ancestors have not been paid! Moreover, the Founding LaborersR should be thanked for the invaluable contributions they made to the United States. The government has never said "thank you" to the enslaved African Americans Ancestors or their descendants. No one has ever given an official apology for the egregious wrongs inflicted on the enslaved African American Ancestors and their descendants.

The United States Government should say "Thank you," and it should apologize.