Merkt, explaining his opposition to the measure, said many residents descend from families who came to the US after the Civil War and have no link to slave holding.
"Today's residents of New Jersey, even those who can trace their ancestry back to either slaves or slave holders, bear no collective guilt or responsibility," Merkt said.
No state has offered reparations to slave descendants, and New Jersey's measure states that the resolution cannot be used in litigation.
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