--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had ancestors who were slave-holders…" description: "\"I had ancestors who were slave-holders, which is a difficult piece of family history to say the least. In a recent New York Times article on the subjec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/laura-lippman-7439_ancestor_i-had-ancestors-who-were-slave-holders-w_1998933.jpg" --- # I had ancestors who were slave-holders, which is a… ![“I had ancestors who were slave-holders, which is a difficult piece of family history to say the least. In a recent New York Times article on the subject of modern attitudes toward our slave-holding past, the writer noted that we all want to be from "innocent origins." I _know_ I'm not. Then again…” quote by Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/laura-lippman-7439_ancestor_i-had-ancestors-who-were-slave-holders-w_1998933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/laura-lippman-7439_ancestor_i-had-ancestors-who-were-slave-holders-w_1998933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/463/laura-lippman-7439_ancestor_i-had-ancestors-who-were-slave-holders-w_1998933.jpg) > “I had ancestors who were slave-holders, which is a difficult piece of family history to say the least. In a recent New York Times article on the subject of modern attitudes toward our slave-holding past, the writer noted that we all want to be from "innocent origins." I \_know\_ I'm not. Then again, I suspect most of us are not.” [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging a painful family legacy of slave‑holding forces a confrontation with personal and collective history, prompting honesty and reflection. **In simple terms:** Facing uncomfortable ancestry leads to truth and growth. Key Takeaway Own and learn from past. Themes history identity truth inheritance racial reckoning Mood somber reflective hopeful Type personal historical When to use this quote - family discussions - public discourse - personal memoirs Key Concepts Moral responsibility generational trauma historical honesty Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting ancestry shape identity? - What responsibilities arise from inherited injustice? A Different Perspective Denial can preserve comfort but hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Ancestors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors/) [Ancestors Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestors-slave-841480/) [Articles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Attitudes Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitudes-slave-3506515/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-history/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [New york times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-times/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slave Holders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-holders-2371082/) [Slave Holding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave-holding-3506516/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Suspects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspects/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [York Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york-times/) ## Related quotes > [“there is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/there-is-no-king-who-has-not-had-a-slave-among-his-ancestors-and-no/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [It is hard for the old slave holding spirit to die. 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The Democratic Party and the states they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/slave-holding-is-very-unusual-among-the-english-speaking-peoples/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [All of us in the Ball family in South Carolina, from the time we're children, hear stories about our ancestors, the slave owners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ball/all-of-us-in-the-ball-family-in-south-carolina-from-the-time-we-re/) [Edward Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ball/) > [“A few slave holders were undeniably cruel. Examples of slaves beaten to death were not common, neither were they unknown. 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