Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie. Right away, each of us link these items with Thanksgiving. But why? What do these dishes symbolize and on a grander scale, what does the holiday itself symbolize?
We can all admit to being weary about the history and significance of Thanksgiving. Previously mentioned, we can point out key traditional dishes, and perhaps football and family gatherings with this holiday, but it’s quite obvious that all of the other holidays within the calendar year are understood on a deeper level than Thanksgiving. The historical story involves pilgrims, and maybe Indians, but who can even be sure of that?
Well, I feel like it’s time to finally educate the public about this holiday. While most find the celebration to be heartwarming and fruitful, the factual history behind this holiday is something to be a little less thankful for. Maya Salam, an article publisher in The New York Times describes the false myths and narratives of the holiday in an enticing way:
“Thanksgiving facts and Thanksgiving myths have blended together for years like so much gravy and mashed potatoes and separating them is just as complicated.”
To get a few facts straight, Thanksgiving was deemed an official United States’ holiday in November of 1863 by President Lincoln. This was in the midst of the Civil War where the northern and southern states were head to head in an ultimate bloodbath. Native tribes too were at war with the colonists and the federal government. A year prior in 1862, the Dakota-Sioux tribe faced a mass execution by the federal government which resulted in agents keeping food and provisions from the tribe. As a way to fight back, the Dakota members sparked war against the Europeans, resulting in the Dakota War of 1862. The tribe however had no means of winning due to their enemies’ guns and advanced weaponry. In the end, President Lincoln hung 38 Dakota men as a way of punishment.
The tension between the natives as well as the tension between the northern and southern were high for multiple years on end. This left Lincoln feeling defeated. His efforts were causing wars, so as a way to bridge the hard feelings amongst these sides - he established Thanksgiving, focused on gathering, feasts, and community.
Whether Lincoln had good or negative intentions with this opportunity, it resulted in another mass atrocity and European win. This is due to the European plague that was spread across all the native tribes during these holiday celebrations. Native tribes had not faced the illness yet and lacked immunity.
All things considered, the establishment of an “American holiday” was not going to make up for the horrors and atrocities these white settlers put upon the native tribes. In fact, it does the exact opposite. Why would a native individual want to take part in a “holiday” deemed as an “American tradition” on the land they have settled upon for generations? Why would they want to sit around a table with the enemies who murdered their families? A simple meal and creation of a new tradition with people stripping them of their own traditions will not make up for it.
Overall, the holiday has always instilled false narratives. It was created to “patch up” the mass murders of native members by European settlers. It resulted in further mass murders of transporting the plague on native tribes as well. While the holiday consists of many glorious hearty dishes like turkey, potatoes, pie, stuffing, and more, the main dish should just be the cranberry sauce - to accurately represent the bloody massacre associated with such a holiday.
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