The Tuskegee Study men were used in research that they were not fully aware of. They had not given consent to be apart of the study. The men were lied to by the government. They thought they were recieving free health care. Being poor and african american, they had no other alternatives and themselves, could not stand up against the health care system. In 1997, President Clinton gave a formal apology.
In his apology, he says their rights were violated. This is something that never should have happened. The government is supposed to protect the rights of the citizens, but they failed to do so. The nation broke the trust with the people and its something that many prefer not to remember, yet some will never forget. He asks for forgiveness from the men of the study and their families. He knows its something that cannot be undone, but he can apologize for it. By the men showing up to the apology, it is showing they have found it in themseleves to forgive.
I think his apology was very sympathetic. It was something that the people this study affected really needed to hear. This apology could also make some people come to realize what did happen was wrong and that they cant just turn their heads away from it. When President Clinton said that in remembering the past we can build a better present and a better future, he was right. America has shown they can build a better futur from this.