The descendants of William Gladstone have apologized for his father'slarge role inBritish colonial slaveryand the slave trade.I think it is misguided to apologize for the actions of one'sancestors. People are not responsible for what their ancestors did,and even less if the ancestors did them centuries ago. To acceptblame for things one did not do is a surrender that people shouldresist. It suggests a desperation that entices hostile people todemand more, as they have done this time.However, those descendants are right to call for reparations forBritain's past slavery. We can all join in calling for that, becauseit does not mean we personally accept blame for it.It was the British government that established policies of slavery andenabled their implementation. And the British government, unlike theindividuals who implemented them, still exists. It can legitimatelybe held responsible today for wrongs it committed before 1834.To try to compensate wrongs committed centuries ago makes sense onlyfor the biggest of wrongs. It makes sense for slavery because thatwas extremely big as a wrong.I have called forthe US to pay reparations for slavery,Jim Crow, and discrimination in federal housing aid during the New Deal.Those latter two were not as big wrongs as slavery, but they weremore recent, so it still makes sense to compensate them.