History Essay

            Have you ever thought that maybe the holidays that we celebrate today are not what they have always been in years past? Thanksgiving is a holiday that has always seemed to be about being able to see your family and socialize with those that you never really see. Everything that I have thought that I knew about Thanksgiving is not really the complete story of how Thanksgiving came about and was thought of in the past. Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today.

            Many people throughout the country are oblivious to what Thanksgiving is really about. Although, this cannot be completely blamed on the average citizen because there are many possible sources of error that infect the public with these ideas. From high school textbooks, animated TV shows and movies, and even children’s books these ideas are relayed throughout many generations of kids and adults. The foods are also not exactly the same today as they once were in the original Thanksgiving Feast, this can be put on the shoulders of the advertisers that pushed for these marketing ideas to families. The fight between different brands and companies to market their product for Thanksgiving is known as “brand wars.” Many people associate turkey and cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving today, both turkey and cranberry sauce may not have even been set at the table for that first Thanksgiving. Turkey was pushed hard in the 1920’s because there were so many things that came with turkey such as roasters, thermometers, and ranges in order to correctly cook the turkey for the family. Historically, what we think of as Thanksgiving today is far from how Thanksgiving was thought of in the past.

            Many people are unfamiliar on how and why Thanksgiving was instituted as a national holiday. It all started with the “Mother of Thanksgiving” also known as Sarah Hale. Hale started off as a poet and writer, writing tunes such as “Mary had a little lamb.” Hale was also a powerful influencer in the push for women’s education and fight for equal rights. Hale grew up celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with her family and friends. Hale soon began to fight for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday. Hale believed that if she could get it to pass then the tension would soon ease between the North and South with this new holiday. She also believed that the making of this holiday would give something for both sides to fight for and bring the country back together. Eventually, Hale got her way and President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863 soon after some victories in the Civil War.

            How most people view Thanksgiving came about is not entirely historically accurate. Many believe the pilgrims came to America in search of freedom, but this is not true because there was freedom available in Holland. Sadly, the tale is reversed in that the pilgrims actually came in search for money and riches. The pilgrims were actually not originally named “pilgrims” they were called separatists. The natives were not originally invited to the first feast, and it is still unknown why they were present on the day of the feast. It is not certain if turkey was served at that first meal but we know for sure that deer meat was a large part of the feast. Around 90 natives attended, this was double the number of pilgrims that were in attendance. Unfortunately, the feast was not as happy as we believed it to end because it ended in chaos, capturing, and death for the Indians, even Squanto who helped and aided the pilgrims upon their arrival.

            Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today. The first feast ended in chaos, brutality, violence, and even leaving some Indians as prisoners of the pilgrims. Many people are unfamiliar with how Thanksgiving truly began which I feel should be changed and retaught to those who truly don’t know the real story of Thanksgiving The evolution of Thanksgiving has been exciting and new, I would love to see the story of Thanksgiving evolve into the real and true story that I now know even if it sacrifices some of the glamour and serenity that we see America as today.

NYTs: Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving is Wrong
History.com:  Abraham Lincoln and the "Mother of Thanksgiving"
Smithsonian:  The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving FeastNPR.org: "Masking Memories" Thanksgiving in disguise

This is a vintage ad for Cranberry juice/sauce.

12 Years a Slave Film Review

12 Years a Slave Film Review -

This is an image from the opening scene when the slaves are being taught how to cut sugar cane.

The first look that the audience receives from the film is the slaves being introduced to their new work of cutting sugar cane. Throughout the movie, the narrative of a once free black man turned into a slave is illustrated. Through this harrowing and saddening real life account based on a true story the audience learns of the horrors that even wealthy African American individuals must face day in and day out. The main character Solomon Northup is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor as an African American slave with a mischievous side to him. This is shown when Solomon is seen trying to write back to his family with a homemade ink and pen. "Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), attempts to write a letter home with the juice of a few berries." This scene forces the audience to see how desperate and in need of help Solomon truly is.

Primary Source Analysis

Slave Narratives - Master-Slave Relationships

From these excerpts I learned a lot about the everyday hardships that slaves must face. Both the slaves and masters faced a "dehumanizing effect" that seemed to grow each day that the idea of absolute power was presented. The slaves faced raw abuse from the masters including being treated as animals and essentially having their whole lives snatched away from them. The worst hardship that a slave could endure would be unconsenting sexual abuse from their masters. This could sometimes lead to the forced birth of new slaves for the slave owners own malevolent tasks. The masters also faced a "dehumanizing effect" with the absolute power that they had over these humans. The slave owners forced many of their slaves to work and abused them on every level afterwards. The slave masters seemed to become more ruthless and unforgiving with the more power that they held. The masters treated their slaves as property and even took away the basic human rights that the slaves had been born with.

Why did slave owners feel the need to treat their slaves at such a savage and barbaric level to be able to maintain control over them?

What are some of the ways that these slaves were able to cope with and accept the fact that these ruthless crimes were being committed against them?

How were slave owners able to come to terms with the fact that they were treating human beings this poorly every day of their life?

Paraphrase Practice

Robert Ebert - Film Review of Lincoln

"Lincoln believed slavery was immoral, but he also considered the 13th Amendment a masterstroke in cutting away the financial foundations of the Confederacy. In the film, the passage of the amendment is guided by William Seward (David Strathairn), his secretary of state, and by Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), the most powerful abolitionist in the House. Neither these nor any other performances in the film depend on self-conscious histrionics; Jones in particular portrays a crafty codger with some secret hiding places in his heart."

My paraphrase of this selected passage

In the movie, Lincoln is seen to have a very strong dislike towards the idea of slavery because he thought it was wrong. Lincoln sees at the same time that the 13th Amendment is a power move because it will undercut the Confederacy economically. The movie portrays Lincoln's secretary of state, William Seward played by David Strthairn, and House of Representatives member, Thaddeus Stevens played by Tommy Lee Jones as a leading figures in getting Congress to take action on the 13th Amendment. All of the characters in the film, portrayed their rolls as overly dramatic. Jones plays his role as a sly old man with some of the secrets that he has kept from the world.

Free Research Newspaper

This is an image showing how America's economy revolved around the slave trade.

In this article in 1859, the slaves are being mentioned as property and are not to be stolen or taken by anyone that does not own that slave. The rules and regulations regarding slaves at the time are very generalized and not very formal with the laws that surround it. The laws are left up to interpretation by either the slave owners or the sherifs that are involved in any cases regarding slaves. This is not fair towards the slaves because it makes it so that the same crimes can be punished as harshly or as loosely as the owner decides. These laws and generalized rules were misused all the time by slave owners. This ranges from something as simple as debt and indentured servitude all the way to running away or trying to escape your servitude towards your owner. This makes the situation for being a slave very difficult with all of the odds stacked against you.

Source - This was the source that I used to get my information on slaves in 1859.

Newspaper Reconstruction

I learned a lot about the Union Soldiers, and the unwritten rules that they are required to follow. The voters at the time of the election focused mainly on the persons character and actions towards others rather than his political stance or reasoning. It is said that the greatest sacrifice that one soldier can make for his country is putting his body on the line and shedding blood for what he believes in and is fighting for.Using the newspaper source was much different from just looking at google searches. Some of the main differences were that you did not need to confirm that the sources that you are looking at are reliable because they are primary sources from the time period, and are all reliable sources. Also, searching using specific words or phrases was different from searching while using ideas or thoughts related to the topic. I enjoyed using this database because it allowed for me to easily find primary and reliable sources very quickly.

Source - This is the source that talked about Union Soldiers and their contributions to the Union, and sacrifices that needed to be made.

Reconstruction Ends

This is an image showing the Compromise of 1877.

Why did Reconstruction come to an end in 1877?
     The Reconstruction came to an end in 1877 when the Compromise of 1877 came along. This was an informal deal that helped to ensue peace after the 1876 Presidential election. The Compromise had the US Government pull its troops out of the South in order to formally end the Reconstruction Era. The Democrats held behind the door meetings and helped to influence the Presidential Election between Hayes and Tilden.

Source - I used this source to generate my ideas behind the ending of the 1877 Reconstruction Era.