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Since most slaves took on their slave owners last name after the Civil war, their surnames, birth certificates, family records, old photos, etc.... could be used to determine who they are.
There is no way to conclusively determine slave ancestors and your ideas above are ridiculous. There were no birth certificates for slaves, photos don't prove anything about actually being a slave or not, family records are not legal and what? Every black person with the name Smith gets money from every white person named Smith?
Those who can prove they're direct 'decedents' should get the money.
Possible for a few at best...
It could be determined by what whites were paid for doing similar labor and by records kept on cotton, sugar and indigo exports to determine the overall production value and output from slave labor.
not adjusted for inflation... right?
Academics at public colleges and universities most likely.
Most likely? ...and why academics and not government officials using census statistics, etc.?
Since the entire country benefitted from slave labor, it should come out of the general fund.
The entire nation did not come close to benefitting from slavery. My relatives in the Oregon Territory in the 1840's lived a world away from that crap.
Because the country still has the stain of slavery hanging over it's head...and we're supposed to be a moral country that pays our debts.
Slavery is not hanging over our heads...