The Real Thanksgiving Story
By Gabby Ceconi ('22) and Shannan Massillon ('25)
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia (which can differ depending on the country). It began as a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessings of the harvest and of the preceding year. Similar festival holidays occur in Germany and Japan as well! In Germany they have a festival called Erntedank, and Japan has one called “Kinro Kansha no Hi.” (Wikipedia) But the real question is: why do we celebrate Thanksgiving?
We all know the timeless tale heard in our history classes: The Pilgrims settled in New England and the Native Americans helped them to settle and get their colony started, and their relations were mutually beneficial. However, this was not the case. In fact, the relations were anything but mutual.
According to Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Tisquantam (Squanto) was a Wampanoag Native Tribe Leader who had been captured in 1614 by a slave trader and taken captive to England, where he learned English. When he returned to America in 1619, he was stunned to find that his whole tribe had been killed from disease that had been brought over by colonists. When a new tribe leader, Massasoit, encountered the colonists, he used Squanto as a translator, and established a treaty agreeing to protect the colonists from their enemies and vice-versa. When the Natives heard colonists firing off their guns, they prepared for battle, but upon further inspection, they found that the Plymouth colonists were merely celebrating their bountiful harvest. The Wampanoag tribe joined in on the three-day celebration that year, but from then on, relations between colonists began to weaken dramatically
This image from 1881 depicts the Treaty between Governor Carver and Massasoit.
Photo courtesy of the World History Encyclopedia.
In all actuality, colonists continued to celebrate Thanksgiving each year, fasting and ending in a bountiful ceremony, however, a few of their celebrations were done in response to harming and killing other Indigenous tribes. According to delish, Governor John Winthrop called for a day of Thanksgiving celebration in 1637 after the murder of around 700 Pequot people was conducted by colonial volunteers. For more than two centuries, days of thanks-giving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until October 3rd, 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each year in November. (history.com) Despite these gruesome facts, some Native Americans try to see the holiday in a positive light, honoring their culture in the traditional foods put on every table, whilst others see the day as a day of mourning for the Indigenous Tribes of America. Whichever way you choose to view the holiday, we must not forget our history. We must continue to honor the truth, even if it is dejected.
Ever since then, Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a day where we give thanks for what we have. Families and friends get together for a meal, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie or apple pie. Traditionally, this is paired with watching various sports on TV such as football or soccer. Sometimes families even come from far away just to celebrate this national holiday with their families.
We celebrate Thanksgiving this year on Thursday, November 25 (Fun fact, Thanksgiving in the United States is always the 4th Thursday in November!) As you all can see, Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday where families come together for a big meal. Whether it be traditional or spiced with new traditions in the making, to just be there for each other is a wonderful thing in itself. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cover photo courtesy of Insider.