How was Thanksgiving Day born?

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday in the United States and Canada. It was initiated by the United States, originally to thank the Indians. Later, people often thank others on this day. Because of 194 1, Thanksgiving Day falls on the fourth Thursday of June every year 1 1. From this day on, we will have a two-day holiday to reunite with our families, no matter how busy we are. Thanksgiving Day falls between165438+1October 22 -28 every year. Thanksgiving Day is the most authentic and American festival in the United States, while Thanksgiving Day in Canada begins at 1879 and falls on the second Monday of June 65438+ 10 every year, which is the same as Columbus Day in the United States. Thanksgiving this year is on June 26th, 2009. [Edit this paragraph] Gratitude is a land with deep grievances.

In the mid-1960s, John Eliot, a Christian priest in New England, had converted hundreds of Indians to Christianity. Several "prayer towns" were also established. But when he preached the gospel to the Vampanoag (Metacomet), the chief "Metacomet" grabbed the imam's coat, tore off a button and held it in front of him. Claiming that you are interested in Christianity is like this button-then throw it on the ground.

Metakomet, who became famous in the later war against colonial expansion, was nicknamed "King Philip" by British colonists, but his real name has been forgotten. Philip's father, the old chief massasoit, had established friendly relations with colonial immigrants. He sold and resold a lot of land to new immigrants. However, the continuous influx of immigrants has no end to their thirst for land. The colonial government in New England used various methods to force the surrounding tribes to sell their land. However, the war disputes between Indian tribes made the chiefs demand more guns and ammunition, so they had to exchange land when fur and local products were not enough.

16 1 When the old chief "Meiseyi" died, the tribe was surrounded by colonies. When Indians go to town, they must abide by colonial laws. When an Indian is drunk in the street, he will be whipped or served for ten days. The harsh laws of the Puritan colonial government bound the Indians and made them feel bitter.

1662, Philip's younger brother (Wamsutta) was summoned by Plymouth court shortly after he succeeded as chief. Although he had the honor of a chief, he was escorted to the judge with a weapon under a bayonet. More strangely, after the judge summoned him, Philip's brother fell ill and died soon. He was in office for less than two years. Philip suspected that the white colonial government poisoned him. Philip was full of suspicion and resentment towards the colonial government and inherited his brother's chieftain position.

1675, several incidents intensified the contradiction between colonial people and Indians.

A group of livestock belonging to colonial residents ran into Indian cornfields and trampled on crops-it is said that this happens from time to time. Indians shot and killed eight horses, and colonists shot and killed an Indian, resulting in sudden tension between whites and aborigines;

The trial of John Salmon. John Simon is a member of the Wampanoag tribe. His parents died of smallpox when he was a child, and he was adopted by a Puritan family. He naturally became a Christian. John Simone received a good cultural education and went to Harvard University to study. After returning, he worked as an interpreter for Chief Philip, shuttling between the tribe and the colonial government.

John Simon warned the colonial government that Philippe was trying to rebel. Soon, Simone was murdered. A court composed of whites and Indians found three suspects guilty of murder and three criminals were executed. One of them is a close friend of Philippe. The whole case pointed out that Philippe was behind the scenes. Philippe felt compelled by the situation and decided to rise up against it.

A bloody war

Philippe ordered tribal soldiers to attack colonial towns quickly. He gave orders to his men: burn down all houses, destroy all towns and kill all white people. Everywhere Philippe went, flames rolled and blood splashed. A witness described the place where tribal soldiers attacked: two old people threw themselves at the door, and their lower bodies were burned inside. A young woman was lying in the yard with a bullet through her head, and a baby lying not far from her was stabbed in the head with a bayonet. ...

The terror of Philippe enveloped the land of New England, and the colonists abandoned their newly-opened homes and contracted to larger towns along the Atlantic coast. Philippe's troops are equipped with flintlock guns, which are more advanced than those of the colonial government. Therefore, at the beginning of the war, King Philip was aggressive and arrogant. He had the ability to direct the war, designed several ambushes in succession, and wiped out nearly 200 government troops.

This stimulated the chain rebellion of several other tribes (Nala Guincestre, Nipmak, Pokumtak and Abenakis). Originally hostile tribes formed allies under the common goal of opposing white people occupying their homes. For a time, New England was trembling and under siege. The war enveloped Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Rhode Island (Massachusetts. Connecticut Valley), the colonists felt panic and despair.

However, in less than a year, the war began to reverse, the ammunition consumption of King Philip's army was not supplemented, and the grain reserves were exhausted. The barracks had to be stationed by the river, fishing. The troops dispersed into small groups, and the tribes that had originally formed an alliance split and some tribes left. The fighting capacity of the anti-colonial alliance has been greatly weakened.

The colonial army with new weapons and equipment and sufficient food and grass began to focus on counterattack. There were two famous sneak attacks, which hit Indian tribes hard. Government troops surrounded the Indian compound at night and suddenly launched an attack at dawn, killing 600 Indians at one time and 1000 people at another. Including many women and children. The revenge of the colonial army was equally cruel.

A year later, King Philip's offensive was over, and he became a wandering guerrilla. /kloc-in the summer of 0/676, King Philip and several followers were trapped in the swamp. After he was killed, his body was chopped into pieces and thrown into the water. His head was picked on the head of a gun, and the victorious army marched in the street holding high. The city of Plymouth celebrated its great victory, and it was a scene of jubilation.

According to the statistics of the colonial government, 1200 farmhouses were burned, 13 towns were razed to the ground, and 8,000 horses and livestock were killed. More than 600 soldiers died, and about 2,000 civilians, women and children died. The war debts owed by the colonies exceeded all the assets of the colonies.

The death toll in India is ominous, which is generally considered to be three times that of the colonial government. It is estimated that 2000 people died on the battlefield alone. Infectious diseases have claimed more lives than wars. Take the Wampanoag tribe in Philippe as an example. Before the war, there were about 65,438+05,000 people, and war and disease wiped out nine-tenths of the population. The main leader of the captured tribe was hanged, the wife and son of King Philip were sold to Bermuda as slaves, and a few fugitives joined other tribes. The "Wampanoag" tribe was wiped out.

Philippe finally owned his own small state, and he left only one sentence that made the colonists jumpy:

"Fight for the dying life and the dying country." -Sheikh Vampanoah, King Philip 1675

"I am determined that no country will not live." -Wampanoag Sachem, Philippe 1675

Thanksgiving without donors

Thanksgiving Day is a unique traditional festival in the United States and Canada. On Thanksgiving Day, many people will warmly review the history of immigrants. The first European immigrants set out from Plymouth, England, took the may flower and went through hardships. They arrived in North America in the winter of 1620 (they later named this landing point Plymouth).

At that time, vilen was covered with heavy snow. Hunger and cold made the immigrants desperate, and some people died. Thanks to the Indians who found them and gave them generous assistance, they survived. The next year, the new immigrants had a bumper harvest, threw a turkey feast and drank with the Indians. The feast lasted for three days and nights. ...

But people don't know that this simple and hospitable tribe is the Wampanoag tribe, and this warm-hearted Indian chief is Philippe's father massasoit.

16 18, the east coast of north America was attacked by smallpox, a large number of indigenous people died and some villages were deserted. The chief is willing to let these tourists from afar settle in these abandoned villages and form a friendly alliance with them. This brotherhood lasted nearly 50 years.

European immigrants expand to the North American continent at an annual growth rate of 3%. 1676, there were 52,000 immigrants in New England. Immigrants are mainly anti-objects. And proud of its advanced culture, there is discrimination and contempt for Indians. Some businessmen often seek benefits through cajoling in their contact with primitive aborigines, which makes Indians lose trust in whites.

In the initial period, the colonists would express "gratitude" to the generosity of the Indians; In the end, if you don't "give", I will try to "take". The root of the dispute over Philippe is the conflict of land resources development and utilization. Without land ownership and development and utilization rights, it has evolved into a war for and maintenance of land ownership.

The history of North America seems to reveal such a cold law: if a piece of land has a more effective development method and can create greater social wealth, then this land will eventually be developed in this way. Cultural tradition, land ownership, religious laws, ethics and so on can not stop the operation of this potential law.

Although Indians are the oldest inhabitants in America and the original owners of this land, their attempts to maintain inefficient and traditional land use methods always fail. This failure is not in a civilized way, but in a barbaric way. Unfortunately, it is manifested in a very barbaric way: Indians not only lost their land ownership, but also ruined many people's lives. The pain of failure is unbearable.

Of course, some people regard the battle of King Philip as a contest between Indian culture and European culture, and tend to establish Christian civilization. Some people regard it as a racial war between whites and aborigines, which is intended to stimulate nationalist sentiment; Some people found the evil evidence of colonial expansion to prove the justice of opposing colonialism; Others exposed the hypocrisy of holding high the banner of human rights in the United States today with serious acts of destroying human rights in this war; Even white supremacy people can find a large number of examples of ignorance and backwardness of colored people to support the theory of racial superiority of white people ... All these things are to their liking, trying to choose a color from the garden to represent spring.

Now, let's go back to the question of ethics. The portrait of the old chief Massasoy should be hung at the Thanksgiving banquet, but how do you feel about this Thanksgiving when the old chief's son King Philip and his tribe are all wiped out?