By Hunter Sameulson
Staff Writer
For years, critics have argued that Thanksgiving is a holiday of hypocrisy and lies. They believe it has dark historical roots dating back to the European invasion that culminated the death of millions of Native Americans.
The lies and hypocrisy behind Thanksgiving is a lie itself. According to Dr. Karen Robbins, a history professor, Thanksgiving does not have dark historical roots.
“They settled on land unclaimed by Native Americans,” Robbins said. “Squanto and Massasoit, local Native Americans, spoke English, and that eased possible sources of tension.”
In addition to a European invasion, many claim the Europeans brought diseases to the Native Americans, causing thousands of them to die, Robbins said.
“The tribe living in the area was wiped out years before by disease,” Robbins said.
According to Robbins, the Pilgrims weren’t threatening at all, but fairly gentle people who were small in number and growing smaller since their settlements resulted in many deaths through starvation, disease, and freezing temperatures. However, many believe Europeans started to multiply and began stealing land.
“Squanto and Massasoit spoke English because they were kidnapped years before by an English sea-captain who sold them as slaves in Spain. It was Franciscans who purchased them so they could free them,” Robbins said.
After freeing them, the Franciscans taught them about Catholicism, and encouraged them to go to England where they could find work as translators on board ships bound for the Americas.
“While Squanto and Massasoit were abused by Europeans, they had also been helped by Europeans, and had to realize that no one group is all good or all bad. Hence the subtleties and complications of history,” Robbins said. “There is no evidence of violence between the two groups on Thanksgiving.”
Despite what the extremists say, we are not celebrating an all-out killing spree, and the lies and hypocrisy of Thanksgiving are a lie in itself. The two groups shared a multi-cultural, multi-racial dinner on the first Thanksgiving.
“I see Thanksgiving as a bright spot before all the violence and wars that would ensue decades later,” Robbins said.
Don’t let holiday misconceptions make you feel guilty about inhaling dangerous amounts of stuffing and pie. Thanksgiving is time to spend with family and friends. It’s also a time for us to escape the academic labor for a week, indulge in our family’s home-cooked food, and above all, escape from the Hickey.
