Step 1

I would say that the third article is the closet to what i learned about Thanksgiving. A lot of the terms spurred thoughts of my childhood. Names like John Smith and Governor Bradford sounded very familiar. I remember hearing about the Mayflower Compact but never being told what it really pertained to. My understanding of the first Thanksgiving has never really been challenged because i have never looked into the history of it.  I find it very interesting that Thanksgiving wasn’t even made a national holiday until 200+ years later by Lincoln.

 

Step 2

I found these articles very compelling. They have not completely changed how i view the “pilgrims”. These articles don’t really explain the interactions between the Native Americans and the settlers. They are based heavily around the fact that socialism or a commonwealth idea, doesn’t work.  I do find that as primary source, Bradford himself, states this almost 400 years ago, but still to this day we have presidential candidates trying to legitimize socialism as a good idea.  I feel author of the third article “Pilgrims, Socialism and Thanksgiving” is not as credible as some of the other authors. He doesn’t use direct quotes or paraphrase from any sources. His article feels like it is just his opinion of how it all went down. The first article written by Richard J. Maybury is much more backed in research. After researching about Maybury he has a degree in economics. He also taught economics as a public school teacher for many years. Based on this research i feel that his viewpoint is sound and not too biased. I also feel the last article “The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving…” to be very accurate. After researching about AIER and learning that they are a nonprofit who only cares about providing accurate information.

 

Step 3

I found this set of articles interesting but they did not change my view of Thanksgiving either. The story that every child is told is not completely wrong or right. It has been washed down to a happy story about prosperity and giving thanks. I felt that these articles were more built around how to be more politically correct during the Thanksgiving time. There was only 1 article that actually helped understand Thanksgiving from the Native American’s viewpoint. That was the “The Suppressed Speech of Wamsutta”. The “The Pilgrims were…Socialists?” by Kate Zernike was a great article to counteract the previous section of articles. After reading up about the author and her previous works. She sets herself apart by being fair and unbiased even though she speaks from a Liberal agenda.

 

Step 4

In order to be a truly objective historian, you would need to put your opinions and previous understandings of the situation aside and research every side as thoroughly as possible.  To be as accurate as possible you would need to kind of stitch together all the information into a bigger picture to fully understand it. I felt that the second and some of the third set of articles were to politically biased, right against left type stuff. In order to build the big picture you need to separate the chaff from the grain. While it is interesting that the Pilgrims lived under a kind of socialist system, it doesn’t really bear any weight to “the first Thanksgiving”. I would start with the original telling of the first thanksgiving and build from there, trying to see if that information was accurate. If i were to look for primary sources i would start with Bradford’s journal/diary. Does Governor Bradford’s diary tell more about the first thanksgiving or is it just about the economic systems they used in those times? Were there other journals from Pilgrims that could fill in some holes? Did the Native Americans keep any journals as well?  Looking into secondary sources should be fairly easy, making sure they are accurate and reliable would be more difficult. I would look into Wamsutta more to find a starting point and work my way backwards. Also any museum exhibits and books would be a decent source to start looking into.

STEP 1

1. After reading through each article I feel like the first article, written on National Geographic Kids was closest to my childhood and current understanding of the first Thanksgiving. It was very simple and to the point. There wasn’t a lot of details which I think is important because no one really knows exactly was was worn, what was said and what they ate because we weren’t there. It had all the key components that I have learned about; the Mayflower, Plymouth rock, Native Americans helping with crops and hunting, and them sharing a meal to show friendship and gratitude.
2. Well my understanding of the event hasn’t changed much since I first learned about it in elementary school. I still have the same basic knowledge of how it came about and why we celebrate it today. I haven’t done any research or further investigation into what happened to the pilgrims and why its a national holiday. I still celebrate the same way with my family for the holidays, we have our special traditions. We eat thanksgiving dinner around 3:00 pm, my dad always has the football game on, my mom in the kitchen cooking all day (she always makes homemade pies and rolls), and then we play board games as a family. Since I have gotten older we have alternated holidays with my family and my husbands family. Sometimes the holidays can be a hassle; taking off work, traveling, finding someone to watch our dog. I find the holidays comforting but not as exciting as I did when I was younger.

STEP 2

1. I did find these interpretations interesting. They are very different from the simplistic, child-like interpretations we read earlier. They seemed more harsh and gave me a different insight into the pilgrims and how they made it work in the new world.
2. I found a couple of the articles compelling and they made me think differently about the true meaning of Thanksgiving. However, I don’t know how accurate any of the statements made by the authors are. Therefore I’m not sure it changes my thoughts about the holiday or situation right away. I would need to do more research into their sources. I do find some of the information reasonable and I feel like it makes sense as to why the pilgrims struggled in the beginning. It also makes me think that leadership/government played a much larger role in the new settlement than what is taught in school.
3. 1st article: Richard J. Maybury- publisher U.S. and World Early Warning Report for Investors. His belief is Juris Naturalism (do all agreed upon and do not encroach on others or their property).

2nd article: Rush Limbaugh- Conservative radio show host and author.

3rd article: Del Tackett-he is a “tour guide”. He seems very religious and godly.

4th article: American Institute Economic Research (I couldn’t find an specific author for this article).            Their goal seems to educate the public on economic issues. It says on their website that they have objective,    reliable and useful information.

4. I don’t think knowing more about the authors changed my perception on their articles. I found that I connected to the 3rd article the most, but because of what it said not because of who wrote it. I do want to know whether the authors are credible because thats important to me in making a decision on what I believe.

STEP 3 

1. I found these articles more interesting than in Step 2. I enjoyed the perspective from each author, especially those of the last two articles. I think its important to hear the story and history from a Native American perspective.
2. I did find these articles compelling and reasonable. Article number 3 seemed accurate because as a school teacher Chuck Larsen wants to find a way to convey the truth in an educational way so that all children can have a better understanding of what really happened on the first Thanksgiving and what it meant to come to the new world. The last two articles were driven from a Native American perspective but seemed accurate and reasonable as it was their land to begin with and they feel they have a right to be heard and be a part of that history. This has changed my way of looking at the first thanksgiving to a more well rounded experience for all the people involved. Not just the pilgrims but the Native Americans as well, what they experienced and how it changed their world.
3. 1st article: Kate Zernike is a correspondent for the New York Times since 2000 and an author.

2nd article: Bob Edwards on NPR. He has a satellite radio program and is an author.

3rd article: Chuck Larsen is a public school teacher and historian.

4th article: Russell M. Peters is a Wampanoag indian and an author of Native American literature.

5th article: Frank B. James on the Teaching Tolerance website. He is also a Wampanoag indian and author.

4. I would say knowing more about these authors may have influenced my view a little bit. Knowing that Chuck Larsen is a school teacher and historian makes him more trust worthy. I would hope that he really wants to teach accurate information to children and has done research to make sure that happens. I’m not sure that the last two authors have incredibly accurate information but I do trust that they speak from truth because their history is passed down from generation to generation. It seemed like all the authors wanted some truth brought back into the teachings of the first Thanksgiving, which I think is important.

Step 4

1. I think for historians to make sense of this event, they would research the topic and try to find reliable sources that describe and elaborate on the details. I feel like historians would compare information with other historians, evaluate all the evidence available and ask questions. To make sure that their narrative is accurate and objective they would find out where there sources are coming from, situate the document to a place and time, carefully consider what the source is saying and the language being used, and use multiple sources to determine points of agreement and disagreement.
2. I think anyone looking to make sense of this event would ask questions. They would ask friends and family, professors and colleagues for their opinions. A big component of todays society is the internet, and I believe most people would start searching for their answers on the world wide web. Another great resource is the library. I think that most people will end up determining which is more compelling based on what they find on the internet, how they were raised and what the people closest to them are saying and believing about the event.
3. To find a primary source I would probably go to the library. A primary source is a first hand account of the event. For example a letter from the pilgrims or a diary entry. I would think that the library would have a copy of either of these documents.
4. To find a secondary source I would probably look on the internet. A secondary source is an interpretation of a primary source. I would google “first thanksgiving” and use Wikipedia or an excerpt from a textbook to gather my information.

Part 1:

1. Out of these three articles “First Thanksgiving” or the first article in the list is the one that is closest to my childhood. The thing that made it close is just how it talks specifically about the Native Americans and then about the settlers. Just those backgrounds that we are taught then leading into the actual feast of Thanksgiving. It was the closest out of the three to my childhood understanding.
2. The third article best represents the current understanding of Thanksgiving. It goes more in detail about the history and how it became a holiday. It also explains why the Pilgrims came to America.
3. As I’ve gotten older I think my understanding has become a little more in detail about who was involved and why it happened. When I was younger I just know there were two groups of people. I never got caught up in all the details when I was young. Now that I’m older I have a much better understanding. As far as the celebration, personally it has become more just about family time. Where as a kid I just wanted to eat really fast and go play with whatever. Now it’s important for me to visit will all my family and spend some good time with them.

 

Part 2:

I found the last article about “the triumph of capitalism over collectivism” the most interesting because of the point it makes. “The real meaning of Thanksgiving, in other words, is the triumph of Capitalism over the failure of Collectivism in all its forms.” That is the very last line in the article and really just made me think hard about that for a little bit. It’s totally different way of thinking about it and is the big reason why I thought it was interesting. The great Thanksgiving hoax might be the one that I could have changed the way I thought about Thanksgiving. Just how it states that the real story started with the Pilgrims getting on the Mayflower to come to America. To me that and the rest of the article sound legit and something that would be able to change my understanding.

Starting with the first article Richard J. Maybury, he has written about investments, and has 22 books. His focus is on economics, history and law. Rush Limbaugh, in the second article to me is one that I didn’t take very seriously. The website just isn’t appealing to me personally and the story or play style of writing wasn’t my favorite. The third article has a saying on it “Soli Deo Gloria” this means glory to God alone. In the article also states parts of the Bible in it as well as a lot of socialism. The author of the last article is an economics professor at Loyola University. He seems to have a very good understanding of history etc. All in all after doing some research on the authors I wouldn’t say it changed my interpretations other than the fact that knowing some of their backgrounds in history and economics etc. I can see where they are coming from. I think after so many years of hearing mostly the same thing my understanding has stuck and would have to be something very strong to really change or influence my understanding.

 

Part 3:

I find the articles and the hearings in this section most interesting than in step 2. I think especially in the first article in this section it question us also in the third article. This for me really goes hand in hand with the second point. Because it questions us it make it more interesting to read and also more compelling because you almost get a sense that we’ve been told wrong our whole lives. All in all I enjoyed this section of reads more then the second section. Kate Zernike is a national correspondent for the New York Times, so mostly covers education and criminal justice. She also has a couple books.

The second article, which was the hearing, was interesting. It was published in 2003, but then updated in 2010 both right around Thanksgiving. The website is credible and was pretty interesting to listen to. The third one was another one I really liked out of these. Again the title was a question to us, which for me is more compelling. It is on education world, which seems credible; I couldn’t find an author but enjoyed the read. The fourth article for me seemed to be the most credible because of the website and the Pilgrim Hall Museum. Lastly, James Wamsutta was an Indian who was invited to speak in Plymouth Rock but then not allowed to give the speech. Coming from an Indian point of view I thought it was pretty cool to read. After knowing more about the authors or the websites the one that strikes out to me in the last one. Being an Indian and writing a speech and reading it seems very real to me and would make be more understanding on his points over the other reads in this section. Like I said this section was much more interesting.

 

Part4:

As a historian you must have an open mind on what the first Thanksgiving may have been. Maybe you hear things that could be true and other ideas that are false, but having that open mind could make you have a better understanding on where they are coming from. To make sure that their interpretation is accurate one would have to be cautious of where their sources are coming from. I suggest doing some research on the authors or websites like we did earlier in this assignment. I would include some intense research on the first Thanksgiving from reliable sources. Once again the more information you can get on the event the better your interpretation will be about it.

An average 30 year old could see these articles in a different way such as, news that they already knew or a bunch of junk that is on the Internet. Honestly I think it depends on the person that is reading these articles and what their background is like. One may interpret the same article differently than another person just depending on their background and how they were taught Thanksgiving. For one of these to be compelling I do think it would have to be loaded with facts and more information that an average person may know about the first Thanksgiving. Most of us have a pretty decent understanding of it to say the least; therefore reading an article that has a bunch of facts and information about this event would be most compelling.

I would look up anything that came from a pilgrim or Native American background for a primary source. Just knowing that they might have some more in depth information about the event would make me feel confident. Also they would be a reliable source to take facts from. If I couldn’t find anything with that background I would go with an educational website that peer reviewed.

A reliable secondary source would include an interview of a historian or anyone that has a history background. Knowing that there may be some uncertainty, that is were I would go to get a reliable secondary source.