The hidden side of Thanksgiving

By Helin and Maty 1ère B

The hidden side of Thanksgiving

Why do you think that we are celebrating Thanksgiving ?

Why do you think that we are celebrating Thanksgiving ? We are pretty sure that you see Thanksgiving through rose-tinted glasses . Indeed the myth of Thanksgiving say that it is “friendly savages” Indians, an unidentified tribe that welcomed the Pilgrims to America and teach them how to live in this new place, sit down to dinner with them and then disappear .

Since this day Thanksgiving is celebrated annually in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. For many, Thanksgiving is about spending time with family members and friends, and thanking “The Great Father” , God for the harvest and all the great things that happened to them through the year and in their life. It is typically celebrated by having a big meal in the family with a turkey as the centerpiece.

Beautiful story isn’t it ?But now let us show you the real side of Thanksgiving

As John Kennedy said “ We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives” and you will understand why he said that ...

Indeed the real story of Thanksgiving is a lot more dramatic than the myth. The vision that the Pilgrims have of Thanksgiving is contrasting the vision that the Native Americans have of it. They have two opposite visions.

The Pilgrims who came to New England were not simply refugees who decided to put their fate in God’s hands in the empty wilderness of North America in 1614. The settlers settled at the borders. They have established treaties with certain tribes so as not to be attacked by enemy Indian tribes.

In 1621, the Puritans met the Wompanoags, an Amerindian tribe who shared their knowledge with them . On the first thanksgiving the wampanoag tribe was invited in order to negotiate a treaty and sell lands to the settlers.

The Wampanoag Indians Nor were they invited out of the goodness of the Pilgrims’ hearts to share the fruits of the Pilgrims’ harvest in a demonstration of Christian charity and interracial brotherhood. On the contrary, the pilgrims committed violence, treated badly and massacred the native American people.

The mixture between myth and reality was developed much later. And nowadays America wants to unite all peoples under one identity

Thank you!