INFO:

40 Acres and a Mule is a phrase that refers to a promise made to formerly enslaved African Americans during the Reconstruction era in the U.S. The idea was that each freed family would be given 40 acres of land and a mule to help them start a new life. This promise was never fully realized, and many African Americans were left without the land and resources they were promised. The phrase symbolizes the unfulfilled hopes of economic independence and equality for African Americans post-slavery, highlighting the systemic inequalities and broken promises of the time. It’s often used in discussions about reparations and the lingering effects of historical injustice.