Unit 2: No Thanks, No Giving (1ère G_gr2)

 (At the follwing of what we did last time)

The second document is an extract from “America’s God and Country Encyclopedia of Quotations”, published in 1994. We have here the point of view of the Pilgrims as we can read the signature at the end of the text with the mention of the “colony”.

We have learned that Thanksgiving was transformed into a religious holiday by the Pilgrims. In fact, they are invited to pray on that day to thank their Lord of the Lords for being “civilized”, to have flourishing lands and abundant crops. They were called to gather together with their families. They also thanked God for having protected them from the Native Americans whom they saw as savages. On top of that, the fact that this order was given by a governor reflects the intention to create a united national holiday that promotes the Pilgrims values at the time.

On the other hand, to qualify the Native Americans as savages, Thanksgiving loses its meaning of being a symbol of friendship between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.

Homework: Learn the lesson.