The REAL Story of Thanksgiving

[Mr__Bill]

Here is some information you can use tomorrow when someone starts gushing on how 'this is just like the first Thanksgiving'.

The REAL Story of Thanksgiving

After that go here to learn why this may be the last Thanksgiving. (ok just kidding but still something you should know about)

Bill, On the Sunny Oregon Coast

ho boy, this should stir up a hornet's nest, just remember folks, it's not religion or politics but History!

[jackellis]

History indeed, but with more political overtones than I'm prepared to talk about on this forum. Remember, they say history books are written by the victors.

[shoottx]

I think she may have spent to much time with the "Peace Pipe", involved in vision quest using "natural herbs" or fell out of the tree on her head to many times.

If none of that is true I hope you all can have some of what she is drinking for Thanksgiving.

Or

[mschrank]

Wow...that's not quite how events were depicted in last night's airing of This is America, Charlie Brown-The Mayflower Voyagers

I think I let my 3 and 6 yr old believe the Peanuts version for a few more years....

[Tom Slick]

That first article certainly sounds far fetched. The other two do make a lot of sense. Many of our "traditions" and holidays have very different roots then the way we think of them.

[LCHIEN]

... Remember, they say history books are written by the victors.

That was my thoughts, exactly.

At some point you have to live with what happened. History is full of times when people did bad things to other people then went on and founded a great civilization that did many great things. I have CHinese ancestry and I could point to years of opression, occupation by western powers, overrun and being kicked out by the Communist Chinese Govt, persecuted and used by America to build railroads (things happened on both sides of my Family) but for now I'm just glad I'm where I am.

If you carry a grudge forever, you end up like the people in the Middle East, doomed to hate each other forever, years of bloodshed and hatred both behind you and before you.

[leehljp]

Yes, this does sound VERY political and religious in its overtones. And this will be watched! I have read in detail many books on this too. She is QUITE wrong on her some of her suggestions which lead to wrong conclusions applied over the whole.

Pilgrims did not come with the agenda of "forming" their own nation. They did come to escape. IF they HAD came to form their own nation, that specific intention would have been obvious by a government set up that history would have recorded. Instead it took 100 years for that to happen. They did not set up a governmental force as was suggested. They did set up basic organization to operate on their own, but not as a political power. Many many of the early settlers wanted to remain under the radar of England as much as possible, not overtly setting up their own nation.

. . . Look at Paul's post below. VERY Factual and Brings the TRUTH to light.

ReWriting History is different from discovering and presenting new facts, even if they are not pleasant. Rewriting history, spin, slanting, and distorting with intent of accomplishing one's own agenda - is one of my greatest peeves!



IF YOU WISH TO TALK ABOUT HISTORY - Do So, But don't bring politics or religion into it.

I am a Preacher/Missionary. If _ I _ can talk about things about which I believe or that concern me or who I am - without bringing "religion" into it, so can you!

[MilDoc]

For a well-researched history, look at:

http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Intr...plandebunk.php

[herb fellows]

So nice to have a little light reading before bed!

[leehljp]

For a well-researched history, look at:

http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Intr...plandebunk.php

Thanks Paul, for your post!

I detest historical revisionists!

Two definitions of revisionist:
• - a policy of revision or modification . . .
• - revising one's attitude to a previously accepted situation or point of view.

Nothing wrong with revising one's attitude or point of view, but revising/modifying historical facts to support one's point of view is foundationally - a lie - with hopes it will become seen as truth!

[MilDoc]

Nothing wrong with revising one's attitude or point of view, but revising/modifying historical facts to support one's point of view is foundationally - a lie - with hopes it will become seen as truth!

You mean like Hollywood does with most of their "historically accurate" movies?

What scares me is that folks believe what they see on the "screen."

I learned this from my first roommate in college, a history major, who read books I'd never heard of. Got me interested in the truth about history.

It's almost always a far cry from what folks believe!!!!!

[crokett]

Personally, my family will keep Thanksgiving Day as a day to give thanks for our blessings, regardless of the history behind it. Any holiday is only as much as you make of it. If Thanksgiving Day didn't have as nice as a beginning as we would like to think, then why don't we simply remake it as we want it to be?

[Tom Slick]

I am currently writing a paper for a history class on to what extent literature represents history and using three novels I've read as reference. Obviously fictional works are not "true" history but they can represent a point of view and add some color and background to the facts. The problem is when people take these "stories" as fact. The Grapes of Wrath is an excellent book that gives a glimpse of history but people often quote it as fact, of which it is not.

[germdoc]

"The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

Oh sorry, I got carried away.

History is always more complicated and interesting than it would seem on the surface. We shouldn't distort history to fit preconceived biases, but neither should we shy away from studying and revising history where warranted.

From the few things I've read about the pilgrims, they weren't evil, but neither were they saints. For what I think is an excellent view of the interaction between the European colonists and the native Americans rent Terence Malick's "The New World" about the Roanoke settlers and Pocahantas.

For another interesting point of view about "Thanksgiving" check this out: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/op...ml?ref=opinion.

[leehljp]

"The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

Oh sorry, I got carried away. History is always more complicated and interesting than it would seem on the surface. We shouldn't distort history to fit preconceived biases, but neither should we shy away from studying and revising history where warranted.

I will always shy away from "revising" when revising is changing to fit personal ideas or agendas. Correcting currently written history based on new and solid evidence is fine. Revising is not.

I am in a culture now that has re-written history to make them look good. Most true historians here want to set things straight and have sued to have it done correctly, but certain political entities maintain control and keep the "revised" history in the books. There are two generations of people here than do not have any idea about what happened before, during and after WWII in Hawaii, SE Asia, China, Mongolia or that Korea used to be Japan territories. Many people outside of Japan have a far more accurate knowledge of this country's history than people in this country because of the revision to their text books.

No, I don't go for revising, but I do go for correcting! Is it semantics? It could be if there were the intention. But when the intention is to distort for a benefit - that is the term "Revisionist" have taken.

Truth? I can handle it, good and bad.