As a holiday, Thanksgiving began in 1637 when it was proclaimed by governor John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to celebrate the safe return of the men who had gone to fight against the Pequot in Mystic, Conn. The fighting led to the enslavement and massacre of over 700 men, women, and children from the New England-based tribe, a bloody precursor to what would be centuries of strife for native peoples in the U.S. In 1970, Wampanoag leader Wamsutta Frank James hoped to speak about this overlooked aspect of history when he was invited to give a speech at a banquet celebrating the 350th anniversary of the landing of the Pilgrims. After reading a draft of his talking points, the dinner’s organizers decided to cancel Wamsutta’s appearance, which prompted him to start the National Day of Mourning. “We call it a National Day of Mourning because when the Pilgrims and Columbus all landed over here, that was the end of our lives as we knew them – our land had been stolen,” says Moonanum James, son of Wamsutta. “It was like my father’s speech stated: They opened our graves and they grabbed as much as they could take back.”
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 02:43:40 +0000
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