We are in England, in the early 17th century: Protestants and
Catholics are rivals, and the Protestants have the power. But some
protestants are quite upset because they think that the Church of
England is too permissive with the Catholics. These protestants who are
not happy are called "The Puritans". Due to their extremist
beliefs, they ban music,dance, theatre... and even Christmas!!
Some Puritans called "the Separatists", even more
upset, want to be totally independent and to create a new Church, so
they leave England. First they go to the Netherlands, and soon some of
them decide to travel to America to start a new life. Around 50
Separatists, along with other 50 pioneers set off from Plymouth,
(south of England) in 1620, in a ship called "The Mayflower".They
were called "The Pilgrims".
After six weeks at sea, "the Mayflower" arrives at a place
which will be called Plymouth
Rock, in Massachussetts, New England. The winter
is terrible, and many Pilgrims die, but
the local Indians are friendly and they help the Europeans. The Indians belong to a tribe called the Wampanoag, and they give the
Puritans seeds of corn (the Europeans didn't know this plant yet!),
and they help them to hunt and fish, saving their lives.
Next year, the harvest is excellent; the Puritans are extremely
happy, and they want to thank God and the Indians, so the Puritan
Governor declares a feast and invites the Indians. Some
90
Wampanoag Indians
come to the party, carrying fish, deer meat, turkey and pumpkin; the feast
lasts three days. By the way, today the Americans celebrate this
date with the same food.
But things were not so "romantic": the Puritans didn't like
the Indians because they were pagans, almost seen as wild beasts. The
Indians were invited because the Puritans wanted to possess their lands
and plantations, so they hoped to get an agreement out of the Wampanoag.
"Good News from America!" European Protestants think, and
between 1629 and 1642, nearly 20,000 of them cross the ocean and join
the first pioneers. It's the beginning of a powerful and incredible
nation.
Back to Thanksgiving, it becomes an annual celebration in the 1780s, and in 1863 President Abraham Lincoln decides that it has to be a national holiday.
And it really is!! In 1941, the American Congress establishes
Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.
Now, there's only one dark point in all this nice story: after
the initial friendship between Puritans and Indians, the next generation
started the fight and the Wampanoag Indians suffered the worst part:
genocide and slavery. This conflict is known as "King Philip's War":
the beginning of this powerful nation is the end for
the Indians.
At
the end of this terrible war most of the New England Indians were a)
exterminated with the Puritans' guns, b) killed by new diseases brought
by the white man, like smallpox c) forced to escape to a French colony called
Canada, or d) sold as slaves in the South colonies. Many Puritans
became rich with the slave trade, but this is not what the Americans
celebrate nowadays ... or ... is it? Do you think the Indians (especially
the few Wampanoag Indians who still survive today) are in the mood for a
romantic celebration?
Anyway, as any American President
(whether A Democrat or a Republican) would say...
