Thanksgiving - Day of Mourning, Day of Remembrance
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
Heads up, this article is full of death and betrayal.
Today, the United States and Canada celebrate Thanksgiving. Most Americans (at least the ones I know) generally believe that the celebrations were modeled after a post-harvest feast between the Pilgrims--English colonists of Plymouth, and the Wampanoag Tribe--Algonquian-speaking Native Americans who formerly occupied parts of what are now the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Pilgrims in New England, but how has 400 years of legend of and tradition changed the holiday?
The People Behind the Holiday
The Pilgrims were a group of English Protestant Puritans who were exiled to the Netherlands in the early 1600s. The Dutch people at the time were already a more free-spirited group, which made the committed Puritans uneasy. The Pilgrims could practice their religion freely, but they wanted more power and control over their subjects. The king of England wanted to populate the American colonies, so he agreed to have the Pilgrims go to the New World, sending trade goods in return. In 1620, 102 Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower for Virginia, a British colony. After storms forced the ship north, the Mayflower's crew ended up at Cape Cod--curled peninsula off Massachusetts.
When the ship landed, the Pilgrims gave thanks to their god for providing a town for them to live in on arrival. They took up residence in an uninhabited Patuxet Native American village that had been empty for about three years prior. Most homes still contained the skeletal remains of the people who died there, ravaged by plague - most likely due to previous encounters with European traders. During their first winter in New Plymouth, 52 of the men, women, and children died, leaving the colony utterly broken and defenseless.
A Native American named Tisquantum, or Squanto, arrived in the Pilgrim's new settlement after returning from Europe, having been a slave. The Europeans had built upon his dead family's homes, who had all died while he was away - making him the last surviving Patuxet. He spoke perfect English, and became translator between the Wampanoag tribe and Pilgrims. A treaty of mutual defense was agreed upon, and this is wheat led to the fabled first Thanksgiving.
Origins and Misconceptions of Thanksgiving
It was 1621. The Pilgrims had just celebrated their first harvest, and thus fired muskets into the air. The Wampanoag, thinking the settlers were under attack, ran to their aid with other warriors. Upon seeing a celebration, the Wampanoag were invited to stay and feast with the Pilgrims. This is the story I heard every year in school. The innocent child in me would never think otherwise.
The history of the Pilgrims, and that of many colonists, are shrouded in treachery and death. As Chief Massasoit held the alliance for about 50 years, after his death the colonists took more liberties with their Wampanoag neighbors and violated the terms of the treaty. Colonists wanted the natives to surrender their guns, continued to encroach on occupied native land, and ended up hanging three Wampanoag in Plymouth for killing another Wampanoag, causing tensions to skyrocket. After Massasoit's death, his son Wamsutta, also known as Alexander, became chief. He was soon after arrested by Englishmen for fear of conspiring war. While being 'questioned', Wamsutta died in custody. Succeeded by Metacom, also known as King Philip, was Massasoit's second son and the new leader of the Wampanoag.
King Philip's War
Metacom renounced his father's treaty with the Pilgrims. Sassamon, a Native American who sympathized with the colonists, told the Pilgrims of Metacom's plans to attack nearby settlements. Soon after, Sassamon was found dead in a pond. Three Wampanoag men were rounded up and hung in the colony, setting the stage for King Philip's war to ensue. About 3,400 Native Americans fought with Metacom against roughly 3,500 colonists and some natives. 3,000 natives and 2,500 colonists died in the battles between 1675-1678. King Philip’s War is considered the bloodiest war per capita in U.S. history.
Where does Thanksgiving come into this story?
I'll try to speed this up. The colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “Thanksgivings,” days of prayer recognizing their god for blessings such as the military victories from King Philip's war. Congress let the states decide how they wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving, although many people objected to the government involving themselves in religious observance. It wasn't until 1863, during the Civil War, that Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday to promote unity. Coincidentally, it too was celebrated on the 26th of November. Presidents thereafter chose when Thanksgiving would be celebrated in the coming years until 1942. President Roosevelt designating the fourth Thursday in November (which is not always the last Thursday) as Thanksgiving Day. This gave the Christmas season ample time to boost the economy. Why a Thursday you ask? Thursday was a holy day to Puritan colonists, and that's about as much as I could find on the subject.
Thanksgiving or National Day of Mourning?
As the country became more urban and family members began to live farther apart, Thanksgiving became a time to gather together. The holiday moved away from its religious roots to allow immigrants of every background to participate in a common tradition. Inclusion in itself is a reason to celebrate. To the Native Americans, today is "National Day of Mourning." Each Thanksgiving, representatives of many Native American tribes gather at Cole’s Hill, Plymouth MA, to remember the words written on a plaque, “the genocide of millions of their people, the theft of their lands, and the relentless assault on their culture.”
Image by Melissa Doroquez from flickr.
So today as you eat turkey and argue with your family about politics (that can't just be my family), remember those who lost their lives to 'progress'. Mourn for those who are victims to racism and oppression. Remember what happened to lead all of us to this point in time. And give thanks for not only what you have, but thanks for the beautiful lands and customs we inherited, albeit through disaster.
Links to my resources:
National Geographic - 400 years on, the Pilgrims get a reality check
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