What is YOUR meaning for Thanksgiving?

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast which is acknowledged today as the first Thanksgiving celebration in the colonies.
The colonists came from overseas and the Indians ( Original Americans ) receive them as friends. That should be the original American attitude to those coming from other countries, but unfortunately there are some people that is still racist.

Although a Secular Holiday, it was envisioned by the Pilgrims as religious. The Pilgrims came to America to form a community where they could worship God as they saw fit. King James was persecuting those who did not recognize the Church of England’s authority. The Pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact in which they established just and equal laws for believers and non believers. Upon arrival to the new world they encountered many difficulties and during the first winter half of them died. Although life improved after winter, they did not really prosper. They met the Indians which taught them how to grow corn, fish. Everything they were producing went into a common store and everything they built belonged to the community. The collectivist system did not work and fit laborers would not work without an incentive. The pilgrims discovered that individuals work harder within an incentive system that allows them to maintain and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Bradford, governor at the time assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage creating free enterprise within the community. This became a success and more harvest was planted than otherwise would have been. At the end of their first year, the Pilgrims held a great feast honoring the Indians, God for their bountiful harvest and a new economic system. Independent to the real meaning of Thanksgiving, British settlers came later and killed many Indians in what they called the Pequot War, one of the bloodiest Indian wars ever fought but there is no need to get into that… No wonder people are confused about the real meaning of Thanksgiving…

Happy Thanksgiving

First Thanksgiving – Boston City Hall Discussion 4/4

Squanto’s Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving $2.72 In 1620 an English ship called the Mayflower landed on the shores inhabited by the Pokanoket, and it was Squanto who welcomed the newcomers and taught them how to survive. When a good harvest was gathered, the people feasted together–a tradition that continues almost four hundred years later….

Tapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy In Pilgrim Times $8.07 Chosen to become a special warrior prince in 1627, Tapenum prepares himself for the great honor by hunting, fishing, and sharing a day with friends and family, in a story that is complemented by photographs of Plymouth Plantation….

This Is the Feast $3.57 This is Thanksgiving, a time to remember the friendships and freedoms we all share together. When the Pilgrims embarked on their legendary Mayflower voyage in 1620, they couldn’t predict what lay ahead of them. In search of religious freedom and a new life, the settlers faced hardships including harsh storms, illness, and unfamiliar terrain. Thanks to their natural perseverance and the help of t…