--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His foreparents came to America in…" description: "\"His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg" --- # His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My… ![“His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.” quote by Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg) > “His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.” [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights shared humanity despite different ancestral hardships, emphasizing unity in the present. **In simple terms:** We are all together now despite different pasts. Key Takeaway Recognize common ground and solidarity. Themes unity history solidarity identity justice Mood reflective hopeful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - community gatherings - political rallies - intercultural dialogue - education about history Key Concepts shared experience social cohesion Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor diverse histories while fostering unity? - What actions strengthen shared purpose? A Different Perspective May overlook individual struggles within broader narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Immigrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-immigrant-350794/) [Boat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boat/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Foreparents Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreparents-came-1607076/) [Immigrant Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrant-ships-1607077/) [Immigrants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigrants/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Originals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originals/) [Ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships/) [Ships Foreparents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ships-foreparents-1607075/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave ships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-ships/) [Tonight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tonight/) ## Related quotes > [When you are in America, at least for me, as an immigrant, I try to be as Americanized as I could. I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/when-you-are-in-america-at-least-for-me-as-an-immigrant-i-try-to-be/) [Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [And you have to remember that I came to America as an immigrant. You know, on a ship, through the Statue of Liberty. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/and-you-have-to-remember-that-i-came-to-america-as-an-immigrant-you/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [America was and is the immigrant's dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/america-was-and-is-the-immigrant-s-dream/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I be off the slave ships, building pyramids, writing my own hieroglyphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-be-off-the-slave-ships-building-pyramids-writing-my-own-hieroglyphs/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [Nobody had ever instructed him that a slave-ship, with a procession of expectant sharks in its wake, is a missionary institution, by which closely-packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/nobody-had-ever-instructed-him-that-a-slave-ship-with-a-procession-of/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [In his fierce, bold determination to see the lives of modern-day slaves up close, Benjamin Skinner reminds me of the British abolitionist of two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/in-his-fierce-bold-determination-to-see-the-lives-of-modern-day/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [The Supreme Court said nothing about silliness, but I suspect it may play more of a role than one might suppose. People are, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/the-supreme-court-said-nothing-about-silliness-but-i-suspect-it-may/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [It's time for Black people to stop playing the separating game of geography, of where the slave ship put us down. We must concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/it-s-time-for-black-people-to-stop-playing-the-separating-game-of/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [“PROGENY OF THE MIDDLE PASSAGE The leaky little tubs which the sea devours are the granddaughters of those slave ships. Today’s slaves, though no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/progeny-of-the-middle-passage-the-leaky-little-tubs-which-the-sea/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [The success of the abolitionist movement lay in its making real for people in Britain and America the slave ship's pervasive and utterly instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-rediker/the-success-of-the-abolitionist-movement-lay-in-its-making-real-for/) [Marcus Rediker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-rediker/) > [The Islamic community today is faced with a new version of an old struggle. My late mother used to say it doesn't matter whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/the-islamic-community-today-is-faced-with-a-new-version-of-an-old/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Africans in the United States must remember that the slave ships brought no West Indians, no Caribbeans, no Jamaicans or Trinidadians or Barbadians to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/africans-in-the-united-states-must-remember-that-the-slave-ships/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/america-has-been-the-best-country-on-earth-for-black-folks-it-was/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [People can be slave-ships in shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/people-can-be-slave-ships-in-shoes/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [Whether our ancestors came here on the Mayflower, on slave ships, whether they came to Ellis Island or LAX in Los Angeles, whether they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/whether-our-ancestors-came-here-on-the-mayflower-on-slave-ships/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) ## More by Jesse Jackson > [If my mind can conceive it ,and my heart can believe it,i known I can achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/if-my-mind-can-conceive-it-and-my-heart-can-believe-it-i-known-i-can/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We blacks were the first people embracing Obama, long before the people at expensive fundraisers were supporting him. We gave him his first love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-blacks-were-the-first-people-embracing-obama-long-before-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [The coffers are full of money and equipment for the Ferguson Police and the Missouri National Guard to put down a potential uprising, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-coffers-are-full-of-money-and-equipment-for-the-ferguson-police/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Those who have the most wealth and the most property, their children have the first, the best, and the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/those-who-have-the-most-wealth-and-the-most-property-their-children/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Most blacks will argue that they excel because of hard work, because of intellect, determination, sweat, blood, tears and risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/most-blacks-will-argue-that-they-excel-because-of-hard-work-because/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Pictures can live in one's memory. That's why they are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/pictures-can-live-in-one-s-memory-that-s-why-they-are-important/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [A check or credit card, a Gucci bag strap, anything of value will do. Give as you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/a-check-or-credit-card-a-gucci-bag-strap-anything-of-value-will-do/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [When they wrote the Constitution, only white male landowners had the right to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/when-they-wrote-the-constitution-only-white-male-landowners-had-the/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [I'm too mature to be angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/i-m-too-mature-to-be-angry/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [We picked their cotton. We cooked their food. We nursed their babies. Now we can run their cities. We can run their states. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-picked-their-cotton-we-cooked-their-food-we-nursed-their-babies/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [There are clear patterns of discrimination against Blacks and Latinos. The big banks targeted Blacks and Latinos with toxic packages of subprime predatory lending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/there-are-clear-patterns-of-discrimination-against-blacks-and-latinos/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [Few would deny that blacks have become very dominant in athletics: football, basketball, track, now dominant in tennis and dominant in golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/few-would-deny-that-blacks-have-become-very-dominant-in-athletics/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) [Explore all 281 Jesse Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesse Jackson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immigrant-ships-my-foreparents/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immigrant-ships-my-foreparents/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/jesse-jackson-1161_america_his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immig_142630.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But…” — Jesse Jackson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jesse Jackson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "His foreparents came to America in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immigrant-ships-my-foreparents/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/his-foreparents-came-to-america-in-immigrant-ships-my-foreparents/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```