It’s no secret that, underneath the festivities of most American holidays, there’s often a history unworthy of celebrating. The Fourth of July celebrates a day in which “freedom” was essentially only granted to white male Americans. Columbus Day commemorates the day in which Christopher Columbus claimed to “discover” an already inhabited continent and initiate a mass genocide on its people. And, of course, there’s the corporate commodification of just about every other holiday on the calendar.Thanksgiving is, of course, no exception. As we’ve been reminded year after year, the origin story of Thanksgiving, weaving a tale of peacemaking and bread-breaking between Pilgrims and indigenous peoples is largely a myth. If anything, the olive branch that was supposedly extended by the Pilgrims on this day was nothing more than a tactic for eventual conquest of the land and genocide of the native Patuxet people. Today, this holiday of imperialist history has been translated into a day of mass consumption: a timeline which makes Thanksgiving perhaps the most American holiday of all.So, if you’re still planning to roast a turkey this year, it’s important to recognize the muddled history of the holiday. If anything,… Click below to read the full story from Esquire
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