Would you admit it if you knew your ancestors owned slaves?

Question

and if you think it is irrelevant to today, then why the talk about making a public apology to the African Americans for past transgressions.

Answer 1

I had an ancestor who was a captain on a slave ship. He collected slaves from Greece, various islands & sometimes Africa. When the ships docked, the slaves were given the captain's surname for identity. My ancestor's last name was Williams. I also had many ancestors fight and die in the Civil War for the North. (None fought for the south.) Many relatives were involved in the Underground Railroad in the 1800's. My mother & I are involved in the Underground Railroad now, that protects women & children from the abusive men in their lives. My family is rich in history, it is part of me.

Answer 2

My ancestors owned slaves. Yours probably did as well. At some point on the tree, so did the ancestors of most people. Americans did not invent slavery. Many African slaves were SOLD into slavery by fellow Africans. Having stepped off the soap box, I'll say that the actions of my ancestors are positively irrelevant to who I am or what I find acceptable; there's no reason not to relay the past as it stands.

Answer 3

If you feel the need to. To me it seems somewhat irrelevant. We all realise that slavery is wrong these days, you shouldnt be held accountable for what your ancestors did.
I feel a lot less effort should be put into determining the blame for the past and more effort should be focused on making sure that human rights are achieved in the present.

Answer 4

I trust the guy who reported that maximum whites do not prefer to return off as racist if their ancestors had owned slaves. in spite of if, oftentimes, maximum blacks have the thought their ancestors have been slaves. the place did they originate from is a entire secret. a large form of persons i be responsive to assert that their ancestors have been from Africa. ok, yet which u . s .? The continent of Africa has 40 seven countries. So there is not any telling the place precisely which each and each and each black originated from. yet another element is the reality that slave families have been separated distinct situations for the time of the colonial era.

Answer 5

I'd like to think I would. Why not? What is that to me now? I'm not my ancestors. I'm me. It is not like I used to be a Congressmen who supported segregation like SOME descendents of slaver owners that have been mentioned in the news the past few weeks. ;-)

That said, it is easy for me to say, because I know they didn't. Most of my ancestors came in from Denmark and Ireland well after slavery was abolished. There is one exception who was a Colonel in the Civil War... on the side of the Union. He was an abolitionist from an abolitionist family of Baptists and Quakers.

So sure! I think I would admit it. But they didn't, so it is easy for me to say I would! I guess you really never know until you are actually in that situation.

Answer 6

Yes. I say so with the knowledge that among my ancestors of that generation:

four fought for the Union
three were their wives, and one future wife still a teen
three were in Canada, doing what Canadians do
(when they want to make little Canadians)
with the other three Canadians they were married to;
And two were still in the ould countree, and not yet with 16 years between them.

Answer 7

yes i would , may ancestors are not me. though i dotn ebleive they did as tehy immigrated to america in the 1850s so would have most likely been past the priem time to, since the importation of slaves was outlawed in 1818

Answer 8

I would admit it, I only know the history on my mom's side of the family because her cousin dated our family back to the 1600's. They all lived in the Northeast and not one owned slaves. On my dad side no one has ever done genealogy so I don't know the history there!

Answer 9

Mathematically it is almost impossible that none of anybodies ancestor has had slaves.
Just imagine how much ancestors you have and how common slavery was in past times.

Answer 10

Yeah i would. You can hide your heritage all you want but you can't hide the truth. Its not that big of a deal it doesn't change your personality or beliefs if your ancestors owned slaves.