As tomorrow is Thanksgiving, over 100 million people will be celebrating the holiday and nearly 46 million turkeys will be consumed. This all thanks to the 102 passengers sailed on the Mayflower from England to escape religious persecution. While we typically recognize this day as a day of joy, we must not forget the tragic events that happened after this holiday.
While the pilgrims had just learned from the natives how to grow and harvest corn, it was a great time that called for a feast. So the colony leader, William Bradford would organize a feast with the Native Americans as a celebration and to express their gratitude. It was a magnificent feast that would last three days and everyone would be delighted for the future and how they are all allies.
It wouldn’t be long after where Americans and the Native Americans would go to war. Shortly following Thanksgiving, the villages would be raided and genocide against the Native Americans would start.
While Thanksgiving will always be an American culture, holiday, we should celebrate and remember the genocide of Native Americans. We should also teach the true aspect of the history behind Thanksgiving as many schools tend to ignore the dark history behind it.