Throughout elementary school, parents and teachers share many stories with children, even teaching them some rhymes about American history. One story taught during the early years of childhood comes during the time of hand turkeys, writing names on autumn colored leaves, and in some elementary schools making Native American headdresses: the story of the first Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving, young school children also learn about Columbus at an early age.
The classic story of Thanksgiving that kids have learned in schools over the past couple of decades has numerous flaws and historical inconsistencies. The story begins in 1620 on December 11th, to the pilgrims landing in Plymouth to a harsh and unforgiving winter. The Natives living there gave the pilgrims much needed supplies and help in working on their new land, so when the pilgrims had a successful harvest in 1621, they held a feast and invited those who had helped them. This feast would be known as the first Thanksgiving. According to Today, that rendition of the story should be the way a parent should explain the holiday's significance to a preschooler.
Nytimes states, the real story of Thanksgiving may not be as cushy as the one told to preschoolers. The real story of Thanksgiving actually doesn’t take place in 1621, but in 1637. Though the pilgrims did hold a feast, it might not have been held hand in hand with the Natives who lived there. Instead, the feast celebrated the massacre of the Pequot people. By this point in the New World, the Pequot war had been raging, pitting the natives against these new settlers who came with not only guns but disease. Even though the story of Thanksgiving depicts the settlers inviting their Native neighbors to join them, no evidence exists that this truly transpired.
But what about Squanto, the Native American man who helped the settlers plant corn and served as a translator between the Natives and the pilgrims? His story begins in 1614, with his capture by the English who sold him into slavery to Spain. He spent some years in England where he learned English before he returned to the colonies in 1619, only to find his entire Patuxet tribe had died of smallpox. He resurfaced only when he met the pilgrims in 1621.
At AFHS, students get the week, or a few days of the week, off to celebrate with family. However, many students seem to be unaware of the underlying issues in celebrating such a holiday drenched in...controversy. One AFHS student remarked, “It’s a holiday about eating turkey and seeing family. I don’t see anything wrong with that.” The sentiment remains fairly similar. Many students remain blissfully unaware of how Thanksgiving came to be.
Commenti