History Channel Debunks Thanksgiving Myths

Brett Singer — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT

You know all that stuff you thought you knew about Thanksgiving? Silly person. You're wrong.

The History Channel's "Thanksgiving minisite" (translation: a page on history.com) has tons of Turkey Day content but the part that seemed best to share with your kids is the Mayflower Myths page. For example: you thought that the pilgrims wore exclusively black and white clothes with buckles all over them? Survey says: WRONG. According to History.com, "Buckles did not come into fashion until later in the seventeenth century and black and white were commonly worn only on Sunday and formal occasions." So there.

Also check out the Fun Facts section, which tells us that the cranberry is "one of only three fruits…that are entirely native to North American soil," and that one fifth of the nation's turkey consumption happens on Thanksgiving. (The latter fact comes from The National Turkey Federation. I thought that was another name for Congress. Ba-dum-bum.)

Check out the site for a few tidbits to share with the kidlets in between eating giblets.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Source: History.com

Image: wswstudios.com

Holiday Discounts and Deals

Thanksgiving, Tom Colicchio Style

Over 70 Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes

Are Elementary School Thanksgivings Racist Or Just Outdated?

JeanneSager — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:35:00 GMT

Every November when I was a kid, we spent at least one day cutting out brightly colored "feathers" to afix to a band of brown construction paper and stick on our heads, another snipping white, yellow and black squares to form the "buckles" for our faux hats. But an increasing number of elementary schools are saying goodbye to the Thanksgiving play in favor of political correctness.

In Claremont, Calif., parents were fighting this week over a tradition that dates back to the days when little boys still played "war" and "cowboys and Indians" in their backyards and no one gave a second thought. Leading the charge is Michelle Raheja, whose mother hails from the Seneca tribe. The mother of a kindergartner and professor of Native American literature, Raheja called for an end this year to a four-decade long practice of five-year-olds dressing as Native Americans and walking to a nearby school to join another set of five-year-olds (dressed as Pilgrims, naturally) for a meal. Rajeha likened the practice to dressing children as slaves and slaveowners or Jews and Nazis.

On the other side? Parents like Kathleen Lucas, who is proud of her Choctow heritage, and prouder still that her son still wears the construction paper garb crafted last year in kindergarten when it was his school's turn to play the role of the Native Americans at the feast. She and other parents have complained that the school's decision to put the kibosh on costumes means they're bending too far for political correctness. Some parents have even accused Raheja, who called on several other professors to speak with her on the issue in front of the school board, of using her five year old to further her own political agenda.

I'll go out on a limb and guess the Native Americans didn't sport brown paper vests at the first Thanksgiving, but I will admit to seeing some merit to having the kids dress up as two distinct groups then bringing them together for the Thanksgiving lesson. It's a chance to learn about accepting each other's differences - especially in schools that lack diversity. Setting that aside, however, we need to stop glossing over the nasty bits of America's history regarding treatment of Native Americans. It may not be the lesson plan for Thanksgiving Day - it is, after all, a day for positive thinking. But where German children should spend a portion of their education on the Holocaust to understand their nation's past, we need to ensure our children learn about the Trail of Tears and the countless other atrocities we subjected fellow human beings to in the name of enlightenment and spreading the American ideals (hmmm, sound familiar, Iraq?).

Should part of that education include setting aside the paper head dresses too?

Image: Los Angeles Times (Kathleen Lucas' son in his construction paper outfit with a "Pilgrim" friend)

Strollerderby : native americans

History Channel Debunks Thanksgiving Myths

Are Elementary School Thanksgivings Racist Or Just Outdated?

What Makes a Yuppie Parent?

They Say: Forward-Facing Stroller's Bad for Baby

BREAKING NEWS: Judge Overrules Ban on Gays Adopting in Florida

Boy Tells 'Your Mom' Joke, Boy Goes to Jail