Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in 1863 Thanksgiving as a national day and celebration. However, what can be seen as a cheerful holiday wasn’t born out of joy, but rather out of a tragic past. To illustrate the following we firstly are presented with an illustration from Norman Rockwell, entitled Freedom from want, published in 1942 on the Saturday Evening Post that. The illustration comes along with an article, whose author is unknown just as the date of its publication. Which leads us to the second document, it consists of a novel’s extract, it is entitled A people’s history of the United States and it was written by Howard Zina and published in 2001. Furthermore, the documents that we’re presented will show us the duality behind this holiday. Which is torn between joyfulness, nowadays, and the historical misery that consumes its origins. Taking in consideration the specificities of the documents, we’re going to demonstrate the opposition between the traditional representation of Thanksgiving, and the unseen reality within the British colonies at the beginning of the 17th century. On one hand, we’re going to show the traditional representation of the prominent American holiday. On the other hand, we’ll reveal the reality behind this celebration during the 17th century experienced by the settled British colonies.
Understanding the holiday’s symbols and values is crucial for discerning the contrast between its brutal reality, and its customary representation.
First of all, as it can be seen in the illustration, Thanksgiving is traditionally a meal shared with the whole family. Which is stereotypically represented with a White Anglo-Saxon protestant family. It’s actually one of the main symbols that appears on the American Dream portrayals. The feast is usually composed of the famous turkey often accompanied with smashed potatoes, pudding, fruits and an abundance of garnitures. But in this picture the people seem to be lost in joy and forget about the food which reflects their wealthiness and comfort. Besides, it also reminds us that thanksgiving is mostly a ritual to celebrate each other’s existence. In most people head, thanksgiving came from, as explained in the text accompanying the picture, “a celebratory feast”(l.13)
In addition, the core values of Thanksgiving reside on its origins, and its relation with religion. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Thanksgiving means : “The giving of thanks; the expression of thankfulness or gratitude; esp. the act of giving thanks to God.” . Through their harvest festivals, the Pilgrims would show their gratitude towards God for providing them with a good harvest. A similar concept that is found in the first Thanksgiving.Furthermore,values such as sharing, giving, and generosity are the founders behind the holiday. Despite the fact that “Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe” being kidnapped and “ sold into slavery”, he “taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap (…), catch the fish in the rivers” (L. 16-20). Besides, he also helped the “ settlers forge an alliance with the Wamporong” (L 20-22). Values such as forgiveness, generosity,and the fact that he shared knowledge with the Pilgrims, shows us how deep rooted and important these values are to the holiday. As a result of Squanto’s help, the “Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful” (L 23), which consequently gave place to the first Thanksgiving. A feast that was organized by “Governor William Bradford”, with the invitation of “ the Wampanoag chief Massasoit” (L 24-25). Likewise, they participated in the preparation of the feast. The Wampanoag brought back “ five deer” (L 30), and helped with the preparation of the dishes by “using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods” (L 31-32).
Without a doubt, the traditional representation of the holiday is surrounded by strong values that founded Thanksgiving : sharing, kindness, thankfulness and forgiveness. Despite all their differences, they’ve managed to share a meal. Since this particular feast, remains “one of the sole exemples of harmony between colonists and Native Americans” (L 22). But we might speculate as to whether this is how the first Thanksgiving occurred.