As people begin to shift holiday festivities from Halloween to Thanksgiving, let's be considerate of those who may not celebrate the holiday as a result of cultural differences. For the Indigenous people of our country, Thanksgiving is a painful reminder of the mass genocide of their people, killing over 50 million of their population and colonizing the rest. Though everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving tradition, that tradition only exists based on the suffering of others, and educating ourselves about the topic can give insights to those who may be ignorant of the history of the holiday and our country in general.

 In September 1620, A ship of American Settlers (pilgrims) left Plymouth, England in search of new land for their Christian faith. When they arrived in Plymouth and began their settlement during harsh weather conditions, A Native American man from the Abenaki tribe and later a man named Squanto who had been kidnapped by the English met the pilgrims. Sqaunto taught them how to catch fish, grow corn, and avoid poisonous plants. Through this he allied with both the pilgrims and a fellow Native American tribe called the Wampanoag tribe and established peace between the two parties. If only this were where it ended.

Shortly after this, the pilgrims proceeded to massacre several Native American tribes like the Pequot, and rob tribes like the Wampanoag of their food and graves. Millions of Natives were slaughtered, and their population was reduced by over 90%. Thanksgiving serves as a yearly reminder of the oppression and atrocities committed by European Colonialism and should be a learning experience to not repeat the same mistakes of the past. By educating ourselves about the history of our country, we can truly move forward from these events and make amends to those who have suffered at the hands of greed.