The Hidden History of Thanksgiving:
What Really Happened Behind the Holiday
For many Americans, Thanksgiving brings to mind feasts, family gatherings, and a story of friendship between Pilgrims and Native Americans. But behind the comforting myth lies a far more complex, often painful history; one that deserves to be told honestly.
This article explores the true origins of Thanksgiving: the real 1621 event, the violent colonial “thanksgiving” that came later, and how the holiday we know today was shaped centuries afterward.
The Myth We Learned
Most people grow up hearing a simple, sanitized version of Thanksgiving:
The Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth in 1620.
The Wampanoag tribe helped them survive.
They joined together for a peaceful meal in 1621.
While this isn’t entirely imaginary, it leaves out major pieces of the story.
The Real Story of 1621
It Was a Harvest Celebration; Not “Thanksgiving”
The 1621 gathering did happen, but the English did not call it “Thanksgiving.”
In the Puritan tradition, a Thanksgiving was a religious day of prayer and fasting, not a festival.
So the famous feast wasn’t considered a special holiday at the time.
The Wampanoag Weren’t “Invited” in the Traditional Sense
The traditional story says the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag.
But historical accounts indicate:
Pilgrims fired guns in celebration of their harvest.
The Wampanoag, hearing gunfire, arrived with 90 warriors to check whether there was a threat.
This turned into a three-day diplomatic gathering; not a planned multicultural dinner.
It Was Diplomacy, Not Harmony
The Wampanoag, led by Massasoit, had reasons for forming an alliance with the English:
Their population had been devastated by European-borne diseases
They faced political pressure from neighboring tribes
They sought balance and survival
The feast symbolized a fragile political alliance, not a romantic partnership.
The Dark Chapter: The First Official “Thanksgiving” Was After a Massacre
Less than 16 years after the 1621 meal, relations between Indigenous people and colonists deteriorated rapidly.
The Pequot Massacre (1637)
During the Pequot War, colonial militias and allies attacked a Pequot village, killing hundreds of men, women, and children.
Following this massacre, Governor John Winthrop declared a “Day of Thanksgiving” to celebrate the victory.
This is the earliest recorded English thanksgiving proclamation in the region; and it was tied to warfare, not peace.
How Thanksgiving Became the Holiday We Know
Reinvented in the 1800s
The holiday was reshaped centuries later:
Writer Sarah Josepha Hale spent decades campaigning for a national Thanksgiving.
Abraham Lincoln declared it in 1863, during the Civil War, to promote unity.
So the modern Thanksgiving has almost nothing to do with 1621, and even less to do with Indigenous history.
Indigenous Perspectives Today
Many Native communities mark the fourth Thursday in November as the:
National Day of Mourning
Held annually since 1970, it represents:
remembrance of genocide
grief over land loss
recognition of broken treaties
rejection of the holiday’s mythology
For many Indigenous people, Thanksgiving is not a celebration; it’s a reminder of survival in the face of historical trauma.
So What Are the True Origins of Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is not rooted in a single moment.
It is a mixture of:
a 1621 harvest meal born of fragile diplomacy
a 1637 colonial thanksgiving tied to a massacre
1800s political efforts to create a unifying American holiday
1900s cultural mythmaking and commercialization
Understanding this history doesn’t erase the value families find in gathering today; but it does illuminate the truth behind the tradition.
A Thoughtful Conclusion
Thanksgiving can still be a beautiful time for gratitude, family, and reflection. But we honor the holiday more honestly when we acknowledge the full story; the resilience of Indigenous peoples, the consequences of colonization, and the myths that were built to soften the past.
The truth matters.
And sharing it is a meaningful way to reshape how we understand this national holiday.