Annie Le ’27
Turkey, family gatherings, and thankfulness: these are some of the hallmarks of Thanksgiving, a popular American holiday that brings people together to celebrate their bonds and express gratitude. While the holiday honors and is based on the connection between pilgrims and Indigenous peoples during colonial times, mainstream portrayals of Thanksgiving are often confined to a Eurocentric perspective and can be seen as insensitive and overlook the oppression of Indigenous peoples in the past.
As a holiday, Thanksgiving should maintain its modern essence as a celebration of gratitude and joy. However, in education, there should be a more multifaceted and comprehensive approach to its representation throughout history. The modern Thanksgiving tends to be portrayed in an almost idyllic fashion in American media. It is usually associated with a warm, feel-good vibe and focuses on gratitude, togetherness, and generosity. The holiday ultimately drives a message of harmony and serves as a day to come together with family, share a meal, and be joyful and grateful.
This is reflected in schools, where, especially at the elementary level, the holiday is portrayed very idealistically. Children make hand turkeys, color in cornucopias, and write about what they are thankful for. They also learn about the first pilgrims coming to America on the Mayflower and peacefully celebrating their first harvest with the Indigenous people, eventually leading to the yearly celebration of Thanksgiving.
These depictions of Thanksgiving are, of course, greatly simplified. Calvin Mackenzie ’25 states, “You’re definitely giving a very sanitized version of Thanksgiving. You’re told the pilgrims and the natives, they got together, then [they had a] feast, and they helped each other out.” Aaron Zhu ’25 adds, “[They skipped] over a lot of details; [it was mostly just] like, ‘the Native Americans in that area helped the colonists and they shared the meal.’”
Many students do not learn about the historical context of the holiday and European treatment of Indigenous peoples until they are in middle or high school. Mackenzie continues, “[In] the later years of your education, like high school, for example, in APUSH, you learn [about] all the wars that were fought, and you learn about [rebellions] and the treatment of the native and indigenous populations over the years.”
Children should be taught about the Indigenous perspective of Thanksgiving before they go into high school. Mackenzie comments, “I feel like people don’t give kids enough credit for being people. Kids are able to handle serious topics like this… In fourth grade [at EA], you get taught about the Holocaust, for example, but they don’t teach you about the [Indigenous side of] Thanksgiving, which I feel is very strange… We should be teaching kids the whole picture.” Zhu remarks, “I think [learning about this] could start earlier. You don’t have to go into specific details. But maybe telling kids, hey, Christopher Columbus came to America, and he told the people at home that he discovered it, even though there were other people here and he didn’t treat them [very well]… just let them know that the story isn’t perfect.”
Indeed, the complexity of this issue arises from the connotations of Thanksgiving: European colonists who landed in the Americas had originally depended on the indigenous populations for survival, yet, they repaid their generosity with decades of violence, genocide, and oppression. Thanksgiving’s popular perception represents an intentionally fabricated narrative of the white man–a clear attempt to obscure the history of violence.
However, it is also good to wait until children are at a certain age to introduce more complex facets of history such as the various perspectives of Thanksgiving. Mackenzie notes, “They would need basic reading comprehension before you could teach them. […] If you’re going to give them such a simplified version, you might not do them any good. You might as well wait because that’s not good history.” Charles Bryant, an AP U.S. History teacher, affirms, “I think for very young kids in early education, you have to give a simplified version of things.”
Today, people are becoming more aware of Indigenous treatment in the past, when before, these facets of the origins of Thanksgiving were largely ignored in American media. Bryant states, “The perceptions of Indigenous peoples are changing. One clear example is that we no longer refer to the Monday holiday in October as Columbus Day. Officially, it’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day, so there is certainly more national recognition of [the marginalization of Indigenous peoples].” This recognition can help pave the way for a more balanced view of Thanksgiving that incorporates the experiences of Indigenous peoples.
Schools should allow for both celebration and acknowledgment of the history of Thanksgiving. They should give students the opportunity to learn about the complexities of the origins of the holiday and its effects on Indigenous peoples today, without diminishing the spirit of the modern holiday, which has partially detached from its origins. Mackenzie ’25 remarks, “Thanksgiving is definitely not a perfect holiday. But I think [today], it’s just a day to be thankful and get together with family. The traditions of Thanksgiving, like staying with family, eating good food, and being thankful, are all great qualities in the Modern Age. All you have to really change about the holiday is just what you’re celebrating.”
Photo courtesy of shondaland.com