Examples of US Government Apologizing and Compensating For Past Misdeeds
Here are several examples where the U.S. government has formally apologized and, in some cases, compensated victims for past wrongdoings:
Apology
Multiple states issued formal apologies for forced sterilizations carried out under eugenics laws in the 20th century.
Compensation
North Carolina (2013): Approved a $10 million compensation fund for sterilization victims.
- Virginia (2015): Established a $25,000 per victim compensation program.
- California (2021): Approved $4.5 million to compensate surviving victims of state-sponsored sterilizations.
Apology
Native American Apology Resolution (2009): Signed by President Obama, acknowledging the U.S. government’s role in the forced assimilation of Native American children through boarding schools.
Compensation
- While no direct federal reparations have been made for boarding schools, Native American tribes have received federal settlements for land disputes and other historical injustices.
- The Indian Claims Commission (1946–1978) awarded over $800 million in settlements for lost lands.
Apology
Civil Liberties Act of 1988, signed by President Reagan, formally apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Compensation
The Act granted $20,000 in reparations to each surviving victim, totaling about $1.6 billion in payments.
Apology
President Bill Clinton issued a formal apology in 1997 for the unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which African American men were left untreated for syphilis without their knowledge.
Compensation
A $10 million settlement was awarded in 1974 to survivors and their families.