When Gratitude Requires Truth – Not Fabricated Myths

For generations, Thanksgiving has been presented as a peaceful meal between Pilgrims and Native people — a symbol of unity and gratitude. But behind that painted picture lies a much darker reality: conquest, deception, disease, forced removal, and genocide.

This is not about blaming anyone today.
This is about restoring memory and dignity to people whose voices were silenced.
True gratitude begins with honesty.

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🌎 Before the Pilgrims Came — A Land Full of Nations

North America was never empty. It was home to:

• Over 50 million Indigenous people
• More than 1,000 Nations and Languages
• Advanced agriculture, trade systems, irrigation, ecological management, political alliances — even democratic structures that inspired parts of the U.S. Constitution.

They were not “savages.”
They were civilizations.

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⚠️ 1616–1619 – The Great Dying

Before Pilgrims even set foot in Plymouth:

• European explorers spread smallpox and diseases intentionally, to weaken Indigenous populations.
• Over 90% died before the Pilgrims arrived.
• The Pilgrims found entire villages of skeletons — not “virgin land.”

Some journals even called it “a miracle sent by God to clear the land.”
But God never blesses deceit and death.

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📅 1621 – The First Thanksgiving

The Wampanoag People — weakened by disease and facing pressure — helped the starving Pilgrims survive. They offered food and an alliance.

What textbooks call “friendship” was instead a fragile survival treaty.
And it didn’t last.

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🔥 1636 – The First Official Thanksgiving

The real first declared Thanksgiving was after the Mystic Massacre, where English settlers burned alive more than 700 Pequot men, women, and children.

The next day, Governor John Winthrop declared a Day of Thanksgiving for victory over “the savages.”

Thanksgiving — originally — was a celebration of mass murder.

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📖 What Followed

✔ Land theft legalized by the “Doctrine of Discovery”
✔ Forced removals — Trail of Tears
✔ Native languages & spiritual practices outlawed
✔ Boarding schools: “Kill the Indian, Save the Man”
✔ Over 100 million Indigenous people perished

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🛑 Today — Many Indigenous People Don’t Celebrate Thanksgiving

Instead, they gather for:

🕯️ National Day of Mourning

Held every year in Plymouth, MA since 1970 — to honor ancestors and speak truth.

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✝ What Does the Bible Say About This?

⚖️ Justice Matters to God

“Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.”
— Isaiah 1:17

“Woe to those who make unjust laws,
who issue oppressive decrees.”
— Isaiah 10:1

“You cannot steal a land and expect peace to remain there.”
— Proverbs 28:5 (paraphrased)

🕊 Truth Must Be Spoken — Even When It Hurts

“Therefore, having put away falsehood,
let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor.”
— Ephesians 4:25

“You shall know the truth,
and the truth shall set you free.”
— John 8:32

❤️ What Does God Require?

“He has shown you, O man, what is good:
To act justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with your God.”
— Micah 6:8

True Thanksgiving is not about turkey, parades, or shopping deals.
It is about remembering what God has done — not forgetting what people have suffered.

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🌿 Thrive on Less — What Thanksgiving Should Become

Less denial. More truth.
Less ignorance. More gratitude.
Less comfort. More compassion.

What Can We Do?

• Teach real history — not fairy tales
• Listen to Indigenous voices
• Support Native-owned businesses
• Acknowledge the land we live on
• Pray for healing — not just celebration

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🙏 PRAYER

Lord, give us the courage to speak truth with love.
Teach us to be humble and compassionate.
Let gratitude lead to justice, and remembrance lead to healing.
May our hearts not settle for myths when truth is calling us higher.
In Jesus’ name — Amen.