Thanksgiving is a time when families and friends come together and
give thanks, however, because of the hate that fuels the great American
divide, we may have lost some friends and we may have stopped talking to some family members, which will make this a different kind of Thanksgiving. The verbal battles that occurred over politics are bitter and hate-filled.
The tradition of Thanksgiving dates back to 1621 when the new settlers
from England and the Native Americans came together to give thanks
for the first harvest in the New World. Historical records are sketchy,
but the documented evidence gives us a general idea about that first Thanksgiving.
The first Thanksgiving was a moment when two totally different groups
came together to celebrate the first harvest. You and I go to the store
when we need food, but the early settlers depended on a good
harvest to survive through the winter. A good harvest meant the
difference between living and dying. In 1621, there was reason to
celebrate a hearty harvest.
It is Thanksgiving 2025, and we are a divided America. We are divided by politics, religion, race, gender, sexuality, and countless other groups and we seem to be forgetting that we should all be Americans first.
Thanksgiving gatherings with family and friends can easily become the setting for political showmanship. It is difficult not to talk about politics
because we are all so invested in the political turmoil on a daily basis. It
is a big part of who we are as individuals - and who we are as a nation. You can set up rules that your Thanksgiving feast is a “no politics zone,” but as soon as the turkey is placed on the table and preferences are vocalized, someone might say, “I want the right wing!” and politics is introduced.
The cost of the turkey can lead to a discussion about inflation and President Trump’s role in the state of the economy. And there is always that uncle, grandfather, father, brother, sister or aunt that doesn’t want to just talk politics - they want to tell you what you should think and believe. Avoiding the conversation about politics at a Thanksgiving gathering can be a challenge.
When we look back on what we do know about that first Thanksgiving
in November of 1621 and we think about how different the New Settlers
and the Native Americans were, it is admirable that they actually came
together and bonded over the idea of giving thanks. Both groups looked
differently from each other and they had totally different customs and
backgrounds and their perspectives on life were foreign to each other,
but they came together and gave thanks. Just think about what the settlers wore compared to what the Native Americans wore and you get a sense of how different these two groups were. And, yet, they united.
When I think about how different the New Settlers and the Native
Americans were and how they put their differences aside and came
together to give thanks, which established the first Thanksgiving, I can’t
help but think that Republicans and Democrats can come together in
2025 and put their differences aside and just give thanks for all we should be grateful for as Americans. And we need to remember that we should be Americans first and Democrats and Republicans second.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Scoot