Revisionist View of Thanksgiving

[Hawkmoon]

My sister-in-law said this appeared on Wednesday on the op-ed page of the Waterbury (CT) Republican-American. I think it's pretty interesting.

THANKSGIVING REVISIONIST HISTORY

By Bill Dunn

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. This annual celebration means different things to
different people: a guaranteed four-day weekend; non-stop football games on
TV; and spectacular overeating, even by current American standards. A few
people still use this occasion to give thanks to God.

In classrooms across the country, students are learning the historical
origins of Thanksgiving. One popular resource is "The First Thanksgiving," a
book by Jean Craighead George, who writes that the feast held by the
Plymouth Colony Pilgrims in 1621 "was not a day of Pilgrim thanksgiving." In
other words, there was no intention on the part of the Pilgrims to give
thanks to God for the bountiful harvest. Instead, as she explains, "This was
pure celebration."

Also, according to Ms. George, the Pilgrims left Europe "to seek their
fortune in the New World." This revisionist history would have struck the
Pilgrims themselves as rather odd. In his diary, Pilgrim leader William
Bradford wrote the perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean was motivated
by "a great hope.for advancing the kingdom of Christ." Does that sound like
mercenary fortune-seeking?

Regarding the feast held in 1621, Bradford wrote this account: "The Lord
sent them such seasonable showers.through His blessing [there was] a
fruitful harvest..For which mercy.they set apart a day of thanksgiving."

In some classrooms nowadays, students are being taught the Pilgrims had
their feast to give thanks to the Indians. The Wampanoag Native Americans
were invited as friends, but they certainly were not the object of the
Pilgrims' adoration and thanks.

In 1789 George Washington issued the first official Thanksgiving
Proclamation. He wrote, "Whereas it is the duty of all nations to
acknowledge the providence of Almighty God.both Houses of Congress
have.requested me to 'recommend to the people of the United States a day of
public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with
grateful hearts the many.favors of Almighty God.'"

Thanksgiving Proclamations were offered by subsequent presidents on an
intermittent basis, until Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation in 1863 set the
stage to make Thanksgiving a national holiday every year. Lincoln wrote that
the blessings enjoyed by Americans "are the gracious gifts of the Most High
God." He then went on to write, "I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens.to
set apart and observe the last Thursday of November.as a day of thanksgiving
and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

So, what's the point? Should prayer services be conducted in public school
classrooms? Of course not. I understand the intent of the First Amendment's
"establishment" clause. (I mean the Founding Fathers' original intent, not
the ACLU's cockamamie and hysterical interpretation of that clause.)
Besides, considering the views expressed by the National Education
Association, if there were classroom prayer services, they'd probably
worship trees and rainbows and Al Gore.

The point is, the concept of the "separation of church and state" does not
obligate educators to whitewash historical facts. Making sure public schools
do not actively promote a particular religion does not mean they must act as
if religious beliefs were nonexistent during the founding of our nation-even
if they are nonexistent in the upper echelons of the NEA today.

Here's a novel idea: how about teaching kids the truth? I bet they can
handle being taught our Founding Fathers were by-and-large religious people,
who worshiped the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition. The kids can handle
it, but some educators might get the vapors and pass out.

[Waitone]

To quote that great American philosopher, Jim Quinn"
"There needs to be separation of school and state".

Public schools are not in the business of transmitting parental values.  Values other than that of the Ruling Elite are suppressed.  And since the Religion thingy is not part of the RE's worldview Thanksgiving must be redefined.

[Balog]

Public schools do promote an official state religion, and persecute any attempts to shake it's monopoly. It just happens to be Secular Humanism.

[Fjolnirsson]

Public schools do promote an official state religion, and persecute any attempts to shake it's monopoly. It just happens to be Secular Humanism.

Yep, that's true.

[vaskidmark]

I missed this yesterday.  It's pretty good commentary on how come we celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, as opposed to holding a Dear Leader parade.

http://thebredafallacy.blogspot.com/2009/11/ahem.html

stay safe.

skidmark

[White Horseradish]

I thought it was going to be this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccj2BH25c0I

[SteveS]

There is plenty of revisionism all around.  The pilgrims never celebrated a Thanksgiving after 1621 and it has been put to a variety of uses since then.  In 1777, the Continental Congress declared a national day of Thanksgiving to celebrate the victory over British general John Burgoyne:

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable Duty of all Men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with Gratitude their Obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such further Blessings as they stand in Need of: And it having pleased him in his abundant Mercy, not only to continue to us the innumerable Bounties of his common providence; but also to smile upon us in the Prosecution of a just and necessary War, for the Defence and Establishment of our inalienable Rights and Liberties... It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive Powers of these UNITED STATES, to set apart THURSDAY, the eighteenth Day of December next, for the Solemn Thanksgiving and Praise: That at one Time and with one voice, the good People may express themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor.

This didn't seem to stick as a yearly national holiday and the US didn't see another one until the Civil War.  The Confederate Congress proclaimed thanksgiving observations in July 1861 and again in September 1862, after the First and Second Battles of Bull Run.  The North replied with days of thanksgiving in April 1862 and August 1863 to commemorate Union victories at Shiloh and Gettysburg.  Finally, Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November for a national day of Thanksgiving, but it had nothing to do with the Plymouth Pilgrims.  It wasn't until 1931 that Herbert Hoover mentioned them in his proclamation and we had the precursor of what we see today.

[Perd Hapley]

Steve, what is revisionist about all of that?

[MicroBalrog]

I think he means revisionism in the previous, apolitical sense of historians revising their view of events based on evidence.

[SteveS]

Yes, that is what I meant. 

[Perd Hapley]

I don't understand.

[Iain]

I think he means revisionism in the previous, apolitical sense of historians revising their view of events based on evidence.

That's what it still means. I appreciate it has attracted a specific meaning to the frothers, but that's not what historical revisionism is.

[CAnnoneer]

Public schools do promote an official state religion, and persecute any attempts to shake it's monopoly. It just happens to be Secular Humanism.

The RE are neither secular nor humanist. Maybe they like to believe they are, and they prefer to be thought of that way, but they are not. They are selfish deluded self-righteous greedy little tyrants. They are elitist, and therefore they despise most fellow humans, so they cannot be truly humanist. Their devotion to their ideas smacks of raw belief, not objective inquiry. So, they are not truly secular either.

[Perd Hapley]

Uh, secular doesn't mean objective.  

[MicroBalrog]

That's what it still means. I appreciate it has attracted a specific meaning to the frothers, but that's not what historical revisionism is.

The term has universally attracted this new meaning, even in historical circles.

[Perd Hapley]

Let's pretend fistful is really, really stupid.  Then let's pretend we care enough to explain what Steve is getting at.  Pretty please? 

So far, all I get from his post was that the Thanksgiving holiday was not an unbroken tradition for centuries, and hasn't always had the same basis for some people as for others.  I'm not sure how that is "revisionist." 

[MicroBalrog]

Before the term "revisionist historian" has come to mean "revising history for political purposes", it just meant challenging or revising the commonly-held view of a historical event.

In this case, Steve is suggesting a revision of the commonly-held view of Thanksgiving's history.

[Hawkmoon]

Before the term "revisionist historian" has come to mean "revising history for political purposes", it just meant challenging or revising the commonly-held view of a historical event.

In this case, Steve is suggesting a revision of the commonly-held view of Thanksgiving's history.

Whereas (I believe) the article was suggesting that the meaning of Thanksgiving as taught in the schools has been "revised" to conform to a current political and anti-religious (or at least anti-Christian) dogma.

[Perd Hapley]

Before the term "revisionist historian" has come to mean "revising history for political purposes", it just meant challenging or revising the commonly-held view of a historical event.

Yeah, I knew that much.  Interestingly, when I was trying to find some info on the "revisionist school" of history a few years ago, about all I came up with was holocaust denial.     It seems the deniers have co-opted that term/movement. 


It seems that Steve is saying that Thanksgiving is less legitimate because it can't be traced back to Plymouth Rock in an unbroken line of unchanging tradition.*  Which is an interesting contrast to those who claim that Christmas/Easter/Etc. are still ancient pagan holidays, despite their not having been celebrated as such in centuries.   


*Maybe I totally misunderstand him, but that's why I'm asking for help. 

[gunsmith]

Maybe I totally misunderstand him, but that's why I'm asking for help. 

Yeah, well you're a revisionist, you cant be expected to understand.