As a child, were you taught the tradition of Thanksiving beginning with the 1621 feast shared by Pilgrims and Native Americans?
Did you assume (like I did) that the tradition continued annually thereafter? Turns out, not so much.
In June 1675, Chief Philip (the son of the chief who greeted the 1st pilgrims) accused John Sassamon of being a spy. Sassamon, a Harvard-educated Native converted to Puritanism, was murdered and 3 of Philip’s warriors were tried, found guilty and executed by the colonials, igniting conflict.1
The colonies formed the New England Confederation to defend against attacks. Both sides suffered during the ensuing battles.2
For most of the 17th century, wars were fought in the territories of Iroquois and varous tribes with French allies over expansion motivated by the fur trade.3
Between 1688 and 1763 four emperial wars were fought in North America. The French and Indian Wars pitted Great Britain and France (along with their respective colonies and indigenous allies) over expansion in North American territories.4
Britain won. The French threat abated but British royal oppression continued, beginning the conflict leading to the Revolutionary War.5
The contested land was ceded to the newly formed United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris at the end of the Revolutionary War.6
But, what about Thanksgiving?
In 1777 the 2nd Continental Congress proclaimed a National holiday for thanksgiving and prayer.7
The holiday soon fell from Federal to State governments to manage. Britannica shrewdly observes, “Thanksgiving Day did not become an official holiday until Northerners dominated the federal government.”8
In 1863, during the Civil War, Lincoln issued a proclamation institutionalizing the National holiday for thanksgiving and prayer. 9
Since 1942, we've celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
“The holiday associated with Pilgrims and Native Americans has come to symbolize intercultural peace, America’s opportunity for newcomers, and the sanctity of home and family.”10
And that, my friends, is how we can navigate our history, gently coming to terms with our past. If you’re still with me, I hope you’ll stay tuned.
Let’s do this!
“some objected to the national government’s involvement in a religious observance, Southerners were slow to adopt a New England custom, and others took offense over the day’s being used to hold partisan speeches and parades. A national Thanksgiving Day seemed more like a lightning rod for controversy than a unifying force.” https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thanksgiving-Day