Recognizing that the United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the crime of enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of Black people in the United States.
H.Res. 414, introduced in May 2025, is a resolution asserting that the United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations to Black Americans for the enslavement of Africans and centuries of systemic racial injustice that continue to cause harm today. The resolution documents approximately 300 years of slavery, the economic benefits the nation gained (including $8.2 billion from 1861 cotton production alone), and subsequent harms including lynching, Jim Crow segregation, exclusion from federal programs, housing discrimination, and ongoing disparities in wealth, education, and incarceration. It proposes comprehensive remedies including a formal congressional apology, direct monetary compensation estimated at a minimum of $16 trillion, repeal of the 13th Amendment's slavery exception, funding for Black-led institutions and culturally tailored services, and support for H.R. 40, which would establish a commission to study reparations proposals. The resolution reflects international recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity and calls for treating reparations as a justice and accountability process rather than routine welfare. While the resolution itself does not create new programs or funding, it urges Congress to pass legislation that would.
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