The importance of understanding the true history of Thanksgiving

David Silverman, author of "This Land Is Their Land," joins ABC News Live to discuss the history of American Indian tribal politics and the reality of Pilgrim-Indian alliances.

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[Juangalt]

We literally hear about colonialism every day. Where were the myths? I've never in my life heard that the Indians wanted Pilgrims to take their land.

[FantomasXZ]

The actual thanksgiving day took place in 1565, when Florida was part of the spanish empire between the spaniards and the saturiwa tribe to celebrate the victory against the french army.

[silver]

In the old days, in my great grandfather home, we celebrate Thanksgiving as an expression of gratitude for the Harvest.

My great grandfather was a stewards who took care of the land and the land took care of us.

We were taught to give thanks to Mother Earth for delivering of her rich bounty of foodstuff, so we lack not.
Great grandfather taught us to offered to Mother Earth a plate of food from the Harvest table.
We would make a hole in the ground, placing cooked food therein and covering it up, so the Earth could taste her bounty.

In old days at Harvest time we looked out for those who lived nearby that had less.
There where fields to gleam for those widows, the fatherless, orphans and elderly.

We cooked food upon an open fire for the essence to honor the Great Spirit, Nature and the Giver of all life.
This was our giving thanks for the many blessings we had received.

May Nature's God once again bless us as a people.

[bizmanspacelife]

The news anchor still had the nerve to tell Mr. Silverman happy thanksgiving wow

[shahidanusrat]

As a Pakistani happy Thanksgiving day from Pakistan

[hopenguyen]

Most Americans don't know much about USA history. And if they do, it is very minimal.
We do hear a lot about : Black, White, Hispanic, Jews, Muslims, Asian, ect... But not too much about Native / Indigenous / First People / who were here on this land before the Europeans people entered this land.

[calvinndallas]

I'm pretty sure they'll be banning Native American history discussions in Florida soon. 🙄
#DontSayIndigenous 🤫

[jayyou]

Well said, you can celebrate without all the lies and whitewashing.👍🏽🙌🏾

[A_paper_dragon_puppet_gamer]

Pov:you accidentally clicked on the news, and ty for the info

[Scrollupone]

If you celebrate this holiday…. You are wrong. Period

[mrstravel]

Nobody talks about how violent these natives were. They killed too. A lot of natives were wiped out by disease. But they killed a lot of pilgrims too.

[vanderson]

Native Americans also need to confront their history and be honest that they owned black slaves, look at the "1866 Indian Act" our government said they had to give up their slaves and Native Americans said, they didn't because they were a Sovereign Nation so the "1866 Indian Act" made them give up their black slaves

[godssara]

Hand off their land? The entire Continent was theirs?

[Scraggledust]

Already know this. We discuss the horrors of first contact every thanksgiving. (Known it since elementary, but I was taught by my Father, who told us the truth about Thanksgiving, to always think for myself and never, ever judge someone off of their skin or any difference) There’s no way 🦃 day was “peace and positivity” based on how colonial interactions have gone since the dawn of humankind. It’s greatly annoying to keep hearing “most White Americans”, the “general public, aka white people”, doesn’t want to know. That’s a lie and propagates a vicious cycle of hate, mistrust, & racism. Thanksgiving is a modern invention of ugly history turned pretty. Of WASP’s trying to make themselves seem better then they are. It is a straight up lie thinking I didn’t tell my child the truth because I was born pale. Why are us everyday, general, non-racist, non-biased, non-prejudiced, non-hateful, non-violent, and whom firmly believe in and WORK FOR pro-truth and equity for all no matter ethnicity, beliefs, cultural differences, religious beliefs, etc.—- folks constantly thrown under the bus because of our skin?? If you want truth, stop saying “general public”. It breeds flippancy and disregard. Generalization is never good. Get to the heart of the matter with local, state, and federal authorities who are responsible. Demand equal and equitable teaching not only in education but at home too. Change starts with individuals making change and spreading truth in their homes to then be carried out to the rest of society. “Be the change. . .”

[susanavilez]

Thank you for this story. For Native Americans this is the beginning of our genocide. My mother is Mayflower family and my father Native American!

[johnwattdotca]

If you're going to have the conversation have the conversation. You said the natives helped them a little.
When Europeans made it over the ocean over half had died from scurvy and the rest were barely alive.
Sometimes natives had to board those ships to rescue those men, who only came back for genocide.
The massacres of natives in the United States by Americans might not seem that historic, but they
were northern natives, not the empires of Central and South America, showing gold right away.
The Inca went from over 25 million to under 4 million in five years after Jesuits spread diseases.
The first native genocide in North America happened in Florida. When Americans saw that natives
could not be subdued, despite cutting tendons in their knees and ankles, and would die to escape,
that's when they decided to use their new, ocean-going boats to bring over people from Africa.
I won't desecrate the name of that tribe with this technology.

[franciscomireles]

The past is the past and we can't do anything about it, but we can learn from the mistakes, what matters is now, who we are and how we show and give gratitude to God for the food HE has given us

[teresasmith]

God knows exactly what happened. 🥀❣️A very wise people🥀 destroyed🥀

[carmellem]

Thanksgiving is whack. Don't you eat everyday 😑

[donvaughnify]

Can I speak on this subject being the original man AKA black man.. I don't celebrate pequot massacre.. not seeking a validation or coalition, because it's weird to me most of the tribes that received reparations look like Sally Field but if you are dark (black) you get nothing, but with that said I'm not going to celebrate slavery Holocaust or Thanksgiving..