You Cannot Give Thanks for What Is Stolen
Lincoln makes no mention of Pilgrims or Indians. Thanksgiving is not to celebrate the Nation’s utopian meeting of two peoples, but to praise the mighty Christian God. Man’s supplications are to be directed to God for peace and harmony.
Joseph M. Pierce • You Cannot Give Thanks for What Is Stolen
Lincoln—the President that made Thanksgiving a holiday—never mentions native Americans in his address. He mentions that we must thank God that he “gave“ the settlers that land that America was built on. That means that any attribution of the holiday to a peaceful meeting between natives and settlers is a post-rationalization.