Thanksgiving has been one of the most awaited holidays in the United States, but as years have passed, the hype for it has caused most people to be hypocritical, even if they didn't know it. As people of different religions we all still believe in giving thanks, but people have forgotten what Thanksgiving used to be.
"My family has been celebrating Thanksgiving for six years now," stated Annabel Navarro, an accounting student at Valley College. "My family just gets together. It's a good day to celebrate and be thankful for at least a day."
While it is a good day to be with our families, let us not forget the events that occurred that lead to Thanksgiving as we know it.
According to History.com, 1621 was the first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth Colonists and Wampanoag Indians sharing a fall harvest meal. The meal has become a symbol of cooperation and interaction between English colonists and Native Americans. But after that, these English colonists brought suffering to the Natives.
According to the Manataka American Indian Council Web site, in 1637 near Groton, Conn., over 700 natives of the Pequot tribe came together for their annual Green Corn Festival to give thanks for their crops. However, the natives were called out in the middle of the night and those who did were killed. Soon after, the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared "A Day Of Thanksgiving."
In Stamford, Connecticut, the churches announced a second day of "thanksgiving" to celebrate victory over the natives. During the feasting, the hacked off heads of natives were kicked through the streets. The killings became more and more frenzied, with days of thanksgiving feasts being held after each successful massacre.
George Washington finally suggested that only one day of thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre. Later, Abraham Lincoln decreed Thanksgiving Day to be a legal national holiday during the Civil War.
People complain about many things these days. Imagine what the Native Americans had to go through during the years that started this tradition. Thanksgiving is now a time to make up for the days you did not spend with your family. Some people look forward to it because of the fact that there is no school or work. Other people look forward to Thanksgiving because they get to pig out. We should be giving thanks everyday, not just for Thanksgiving.
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