In this paper, the question of reparations for descendants of African slaves is addressed through two different political philosophies. This paper first outlines what the implications of reparations entail in terms of global consequences and then evaluates how John Rawls’ political philosophy could conceive and address this issue. The political philosophy of Michael Sandel is then considered in terms of how reparations would be conceived and addressed. The paper concludes that Rawls’ arguments allow for a defense of reparations, but Sandel’s philosophy does not.