 The harm argument relies on the idea that the transgressions of slavery initiated an unbroken chain of harms linked as cause and effect that began with the slaves and continues among U.S. blacks to the present day. Therefore, since the transgressions of slavery harm present day U.S. blacks they have rights to reparations against those who committed those transgressions. It differs crucially from the inheritance argument because it assumes that slavery’s transgressions against the slaves have harmed present day U.S. blacks but the inheritance argument does not. The inheritance argument relies on the idea that present-day U.S. blacks have inherited the rights to reparation that was owed their enslaved ancestors and was never paid.