Eleanor Kanerva
TikTok Editor/Public Relations
Thanksgiving is full of good food, family and gratitude, but the origins of this holiday are more divisive.
The first Thanksgiving was in 1621 when the English colonists of Plymouth and the Wampanoag Natives came together to celebrate their first harvest, but that’s not the full story. What people leave out is the English exploitation of these Native Americans and their land along with colonial expansion and the spread of disease.
Questions about whether or not this controversial holiday is worth celebrating anymore given its past are present now more than ever.
Junior Ari Eichberg said, “I believe Thanksgiving should be continued to be celebrated because of the traditions that bring families together despite the politically incorrect history.”
Students agree with this statement that the holiday and its values that are celebrated now don’t reflect its disturbing history.
Junior Maggie Lodes said, “I don’t think of Thanksgiving as a celebration of what happened between the pilgrims and the natives. I think of it as a day to come together with your family and be thankful for what we have.”
Senior Kaz Bergmann said, “Thanksgiving means many different things to different people. I think the history of the holiday is something to note and how people celebrate Columbus’ ‘discovery’ of America. It’s morphed into a way for families to get together to catch up and enjoy food. I think that for many families it can be a very important holiday, it has just come from such a bad place.”
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Eleanor Kanerva- Tik Tok Editor/Public RelationsThis will be Eleanor Kanerva’s first year on ECHO staff. They also made several contributions while taking journalism class their junior year. |
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