"The Thanksgiving meal wasn’t as peaceful as we like to believe." --Maia Cavagnolo, 8th grade
Thanksgiving: a picture-perfect meal shared peacefully between Pilgrims and Indigenous Americans. Except the Thanksgiving meal wasn’t as peaceful as we like to believe. Dive into this article for opinions, thoughts, and history.
Most people think of a feast when someone says “Thanksgiving.” Susan Weinburg, the 6th- and 8th-grade social science teacher here at OSA, says she thinks of “a big meal with the family.” On the contrary, an article by Lindsay McVay says “this version of Thanksgiving, while pleasant, isn’t accurate.”
For starters, the Thanksgiving feast wasn’t fully a feast. Historians think that it was more of a celebration, and could have lasted multiple days. The food was also quite different from what’s on our Thanksgiving table today. According to an article by History.com, the Indigenous Americans and Pilgrims shared a meal of primarily deer and corn mush/porridge and various crops such as beans, lettuce, and carrots. Potatoes, despite being on the Thanksgiving menus today, were not eaten.
Most people think of a feast when someone says “Thanksgiving.” Susan Weinburg, the 6th- and 8th-grade social science teacher here at OSA, says she thinks of “a big meal with the family.” On the contrary, an article by Lindsay McVay says “this version of Thanksgiving, while pleasant, isn’t accurate.”
For starters, the Thanksgiving feast wasn’t fully a feast. Historians think that it was more of a celebration, and could have lasted multiple days. The food was also quite different from what’s on our Thanksgiving table today. According to an article by History.com, the Indigenous Americans and Pilgrims shared a meal of primarily deer and corn mush/porridge and various crops such as beans, lettuce, and carrots. Potatoes, despite being on the Thanksgiving menus today, were not eaten.
Yet that’s not the brunt of the misunderstanding. Many are taught that the Thanksgiving celebration was a peaceful time between the Wampanoag Indigenous Americans and the Pilgrims. And it was, of sorts. A video by Captivating History describes it as “a rare moment of unity that would not last, and was soon to be overshadowed by the colonization and conflicts that happened.”
Captivating History continues to say that Massasoit, the Wampanoag people’s leader, agreed to this celebration—that eventually led to a mutual peace treaty—as a political move and only that. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag people were on shaky ground before the celebration and still were after.
Then came the almost complete decimation of the Native population, the colonization of their land, and the killing of the people, forever preventing any so-called peace between Indigenous Americans and Europeans. In fact, some people call this holiday “thanks-taking” because of its history.
But most people know that Thanksgiving history is complicated and messed up. Gillian Bowley, an elementary school educator, says “I know that [our country] was founded on a lie.” The real question is: is it appropriate to continue celebrating Thanksgiving?
Some say it’s okay, while others disagree. Bowley has an interesting take. “I think we need to acknowledge the truth of how this nation was founded and that land was taken from Native people,” she says. “I think it would feel better if we could [acknowledge] that as a country.”
Weinberg has a similar opinion. “We should keep the holiday so we can mark the [tragedy] and the tenderness of it and the reflectiveness of [what happened].” Weinberg thinks we should continue celebrating Thanksgiving if only to hold space for those lost.
But an article by Ashley Adamian counters that. Adamian points out that “often, Native American culture is appropriated during the Thanksgiving season.” Adamian goes on to say “The holiday is centered positively around the Pilgrims and often fails to acknowledge the violence faced by Native Americans.”
This is where Friendsgiving comes up. Friendsgiving is a celebration with friends instead of with family. For some, Friendsgiving is celebrated simply because someone might not have family around. But it can also be presented as an alternative to modern-day Thanksgiving. An article by Audra from the Mojalaki Country Club supports this, describing it as “a modern tradition that helps us celebrate the holiday season in a meaningful way.”
“I love it. If I could do Friendsgiving every year I would,” says Bowley. However, Weinburg says “I haven’t heard of that.” It brings up questions: is Friendsgiving enough to battle the centuries of mistrust and miscommunication our country has built up?
Captivating History continues to say that Massasoit, the Wampanoag people’s leader, agreed to this celebration—that eventually led to a mutual peace treaty—as a political move and only that. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag people were on shaky ground before the celebration and still were after.
Then came the almost complete decimation of the Native population, the colonization of their land, and the killing of the people, forever preventing any so-called peace between Indigenous Americans and Europeans. In fact, some people call this holiday “thanks-taking” because of its history.
But most people know that Thanksgiving history is complicated and messed up. Gillian Bowley, an elementary school educator, says “I know that [our country] was founded on a lie.” The real question is: is it appropriate to continue celebrating Thanksgiving?
Some say it’s okay, while others disagree. Bowley has an interesting take. “I think we need to acknowledge the truth of how this nation was founded and that land was taken from Native people,” she says. “I think it would feel better if we could [acknowledge] that as a country.”
Weinberg has a similar opinion. “We should keep the holiday so we can mark the [tragedy] and the tenderness of it and the reflectiveness of [what happened].” Weinberg thinks we should continue celebrating Thanksgiving if only to hold space for those lost.
But an article by Ashley Adamian counters that. Adamian points out that “often, Native American culture is appropriated during the Thanksgiving season.” Adamian goes on to say “The holiday is centered positively around the Pilgrims and often fails to acknowledge the violence faced by Native Americans.”
This is where Friendsgiving comes up. Friendsgiving is a celebration with friends instead of with family. For some, Friendsgiving is celebrated simply because someone might not have family around. But it can also be presented as an alternative to modern-day Thanksgiving. An article by Audra from the Mojalaki Country Club supports this, describing it as “a modern tradition that helps us celebrate the holiday season in a meaningful way.”
“I love it. If I could do Friendsgiving every year I would,” says Bowley. However, Weinburg says “I haven’t heard of that.” It brings up questions: is Friendsgiving enough to battle the centuries of mistrust and miscommunication our country has built up?
