Whitewashing of Thanksgiving

Rania Suleiman, section editor

Every year families gather around on Thanksgiving to enjoy a big meal and share what they're thankful for. It seems like a sweet and innocent holiday, but the dark truth of Thanksgiving has been pushed under the table. Thanksgiving did not form as an official holiday until Nov. 1863 during the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln was president.  

   The main reason why President Abraham Lincoln established the holiday was to improve relations between the northern and southern states as well as the U.S. and tribal nations. A year prior, a mass execution took place of Dakota tribal members. The corrupt U.S. federal agents wanted to continue western expansion and gain more territory from the Natives, so the corrupt federal agents kept the Dakota Sioux from receiving food and provisions. When they were at the brink of death from starvation, the members of the tribe fought back to get justice which resulted in the Dakota War of 1862. This took place in Minnesota and lasted for six weeks. In the end, President Lincoln ordered 38 Dakota men to be hung, he felt that Thanksgiving was an opportunity to fix the harsh feelings amongst Natives and the federal government. 

The holiday can be complex and perceived in many ways. Some celebrate to honor their ancestors and families, while others mourn the mistreatment of the Native Americans. 

When Europeans arrived at the Americas in 1492 there was a major displacement of many Native Americans. Europeans were also immune to diseases back on their homeland so when they traveled to the Americas, they killed around 90 to 96 percent of the Native American population. Countries like France, Great Britian and Spain continued to colonize the land and since many Native Americans died due to disease, there wasn’t much they could do to resist this movement. 

To this day, many Europeans and Native Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. They all come together as families and enjoy a big meal or visit festivals to reflect on the past years. However, many Native Americans have a big traditional meal with their loved ones without referencing it as Thanksgiving. 

  “I definitely will think differently about Thanksgiving this year knowing there is more to the holiday than the lighthearted spirit,” says senior Kate Jones. 

“A lot of people don’t acknowledge it as Thanksgiving.” A majority of results from a recent survey said, “I’m going to get together with family, and it’s going to be about sharing the meal, but we’re not going to acknowledge the Mayflower and the pilgrims because it’s holding up this false moment of friendship and completely disregards the genocide and the mass land theft and the brutality that all Native peoples experience,” Dr. Mosteller said, according to the Potawatomi Nation's Cultural Heritage Center. 

This underlines the idea that some individuals choose to enjoy a meal with their families, but they don’t follow in the footsteps of others and celebrate the false history that's been made by America over the years. 

“Nowadays, Thanksgiving is more about being with family instead of the history of it in my opinion, but I do think we have to remember the past,” says junior Ella Herron. 

Thanksgiving has changed over the years drastically and many believe that it should be a holiday celebrated with family, but the past should always be remembered. 

   Thanksgiving continues to erase the violence and genocide of the Native Americans, instead of rejecting the entire holiday, there could be some alternative perspectives like reframing it to honor the history of indigenous people. The tradition of the holiday does not need to be changed, but the mindset and message behind it does.