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The Compensation Scandal: Why Slave Owners Were Paid—Not the Enslaved

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6. Compensation Schemes in Other Countries

6. Compensation Schemes in Other Countries
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Britain was not alone in prioritizing slave owners over the enslaved. France paid massive indemnities to former slaveholders after abolishing slavery in its colonies, while Brazil provided compensation to slave owners rather than to those who had been enslaved. These policies reflected a global trend: governments consistently valued property rights above human rights, deepening the wounds of slavery. [via Smithsonian Magazine]

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