Thanksgiving

As I sit down with my family this Thursday to give thanks for all that I have (and I do have a lot to be thankful for), I will be thinking of those no longer with us and of those who are less fortunate than I. This list will include not only my family members who have gone on, but our ancestors whom we think of as having started this holiday. This week, in our class, I learned some very interesting, and disturbing, facts about the first Thanksgiving.

First of all, when we think of Thanksgiving, we think of the pilgrims and native Americans sitting down together eating a nice meal. Well, they may have enjoyed each other's company, but the first official Thanksgiving was not celebrated until President Lincoln made it a holiday. Secondly, there are soooo many misconceptions about the lives of the original colonists and how they got along with native Americans. As usual, the WASPs (colonists) had a air of superiority about them. They did not treat Indians fairly or even humanely. Planning to "take over" the lands, the white man depended upon the demise of the Indians. And die, they did. Plagues hit big time and wiped out a large portion of the native American population. Even though the Indians' assistance was a large part of the reason colonialists survived, they sure didn't thank their "friends" in a very nice way -- turning some of them into slaves; taking their lands away; killing many of them; and so on.

So, why do we still teach about Thanksgiving the way we do? Should we teach the "real" story? These are just a couple of the questions I will have to ponder when I teach this subject.

Regardless of how you, or I, feel about the "real story" of Thanksgiving, it is a special day and I plan to give thanks for all the blessings I have.