Thanksgiving Postscript

Republicus hopes that everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

A summary of Thanksgiving's origin was provided for your educational benefit and as a holiday tribute.

However, Republicus must confess to his people that the summary did not end with the idyllic day of mutual grace, harmony, giving Thanks, and feasting, but it was considered best to leave it at that so as not to infringe on the day's serenity and cheer and spoil the sanctity of the holiday (or the appetite, for that matter).

But now that Republicus is quite certain that the festivities have run their course (with the exception, of course, of a week's worth of leftovers), that all is well-digested, and his people satiated with the God-Blessed bounties this great land of ours provides (something you should never take for granted), it behooves your host to append the final chapter of that summary, if only in the spirit of full-disclosure and for the sake of education, and hopefully for the encouragement of Wisdom (and not the engendering of cynicism):

...Samoset introduced the colonists to Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, who signed a peace treaty with the Pilgrims. Squanto, another English-speaking Indian, acted as guide and interpreter, and with his help the colonists learned to plant corn, catch fish, and gather fruit. The Pilgrims invited the Indians to celebrate their first harvest in 1621, an event now celebrated as Thanksgiving Day.


Aftermath:

After Massasoit's death, the Wampanoag joined a tribal coalition to eliminate English settlers...

note by Republicus: Yeah. Thanks a lot.

...but in the ensuing King Philip's War the Wampanoag were nearly exterminated.

Yeah. Don't mess with Paleface.

From: http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/researchstarters/plymouth/index.htm