Guest View: A moral quandary of celebrating Thanksgiving?

My wife, God bless her, decorates indoors and out for nearly every holiday.

That includes Thanksgiving. In her crate of Thanksgiving decorations are figures of pilgrims and Native Americans. It seems these are no longer “politically correct.”

What to do?

This dilemma has been framed recently as something that has just come up, a small part of the “woke” movement. But, as columnist Eugene Robinson recently indicated, what has been scorned as “Critical Race Theory” and “woke” behavior is really little more than “teaching the truth.”

As a longtime high school English teacher, I can tell you that at least 25 years ago we were explaining to kids that Plymouth Rock was most certainly not the birthplace of our nation. The only accurate way to describe it is “the second permanent English colony” (after Jamestown) in what would become the USA.

Our social studies department had the kids read a paperback called "Before the Mayflower." On the cover is a picture of a slave ship! It arrived here before the pilgrims! If they were the first colonists, to whom were the slaves delivered?

The Spanish had a presence in the Gulf and on the West Coast. The French were establishing themselves in what is now Louisiana. So why do the pilgrims get all the credit?

To understand that, we must remember that our fledgling country became an English-speaking country. While the young nation included immigrants from all over the world, it continued to be English-speaking, despite two wars with the Brits!

Besides the language link, there is the fact that the pilgrims produced a very early written account: "Of Plymouth Plantation," by second governor William Bradford. Much of what we think we know about the pilgrims is contained in that account.

For local stories that matter, subscribe today.

So, was there a “first Thanksgiving”? Yes, according to Bradford. The native tribe, the Wampanoag, did participate. Both groups contributed food and sat down together. The celebration went on for several days.

But, the euphoria did not last. Bradford later describes the bloody “Pequot War,” in which the colonists all but exterminated a tribe.

Beyond these facts, we also know people have been somewhat misled about why the pilgrims risked a hazardous sea voyage to come here. The old story is that they came here for “religious freedom,” which is partially true. They were indeed running from the English authorities because they were “Separatists,” but they didn’t have in mind a new world with religious freedom for all. Like most zealots, they were pretty intolerant of those who had different beliefs.

The pilgrims were a part of the Protestant Reformation. They felt that the Church of England was so corrupt and far from Biblical truths, that separation from that church was the only answer.

The Puritans, who were part of a much larger and better financed migration to America, did not want to separate from the church: They wanted to “purify the doctrines” and thus reform the church. For a short time, they succeeded and took over the church and the English government! (See “Oliver Cromwell.”) When the English crown was restored, thousands of discouraged Puritans made their way to North America.

OK, so should we at least “admire” the pilgrims and celebrate Thanksgiving? Should we acknowledge the Natives’ role in helping the colony?

For my part, I say absolutely we should celebrate Thanksgiving. Even if you are an atheist, you can thank fate or blind chance that you are living in a free country with relative plenty. Despite our troubles, we are one of the “rich” countries. But what about the pilgrims? Should we admire them?

Yes, as long as we acknowledge their imperfections. They were brave, tough, determined people who came here to start a new life on their own terms. Certainly, not all of them were determined to exterminate the Natives.

But, let’s remember that our country has many roots, some of whom, the ancestors of our Native tribes, were here at least 10,000 years ago. Let’s remember that some of our “roots” are those that Alex Haley wrote about in his book, "Roots," the African roots of Black Americans.

Let’s tell the whole truth, but let’s celebrate Thanksgiving as a time to value family, share food and hospitality and acknowledge the myriad cultures that make up our great nation.

Happy Thanksgiving.

James Newton is a longtime educator. He lives in Eugene.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Guest View: A moral quandary of celebrating Thanksgiving?