Hey look, new land we just have to get rid of these savages first.
Any white person whose ancestors came here when the getting was good, should acknowledge all of it to be intellectually honest on the topic.
None of my ancestors owned slaves that I've found thus far and many fought for the north in the civil war, but, many also received free land through the homestead act. Sure, they had to plow and tile the land by hand, but this was way better than the situation in Europe they left, but also at the expense of the natives they displaced.
I think that "It's complicated" would be an apt way to describe all of this. But I do reject the idea that my ancestors did it without "handouts".
After my father lost the farm in the farm crisis of the mid 80s, I did it all my own, but with handouts. Growing up below the poverty line, I received free lunches at school and received Pell grants and other assistance for college. Throughout much of my childhood I felt embarrassed and ashamed of my family's situation. Just as an example, on the occasion that we had a good school lunch, all of my friends would go back for seconds, but I couldn't because I was on assistance.
My father, BTW, was disabled but refused to take disability or welfare or food stamps, because his words: "there are people out there that need it more than I do, I can still work, and I feel fortunate for that." It wasn't until much later in life that I realized how fortunate I was for having great parents and teachers. Not sure I would have survived poverty without them. I have empathy for the poor and especially the immigrant poor.