In this lesson, students examine and evaluate arguments for and against the passage of H.R. 40, ("Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act"). First, they read a selection of experts from scholars and writers who have through extensively about this question. Next, they participate in a Civil Conversation (CivCon) based on the reading. In this structured discussion method, under the guidance of a facilitator (the teacher), participants are encouraged to engage intellectually with challenging materials, gain insight about their own point of view, and strive for a shared understanding of issues. This lesson can be used as a supplement to any lesson or uint on the following topics: the institution of slavery in the US; the Civil War (cinluding Gen. Sherman's Speical Field Orders No. 15); Reconstruction; the era of Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement in the US; the legislative process; and contemporary struggles against racism and racial inequality in the US.