Thanksgiving: A Time to Come Together

We all learned in elementary school  about the origins of the Pilgrims and the Native Americans coming together for the first Thanksgiving. But like everything we learned when we were young, that was just the beginning of the story. Over the next two centuries, only a handful of people in New England celebrated. It was not until a far more divisive time that it became a national holiday.

The Civil War was the edge of the breaking point of America. Even the deep root opinions of today’s politics pales in comparison to the bloodiest war in this country’s history. And it was Thanksgiving that helped healed the wounds and reunite America. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday. It was introduced and adopted to many areas that had never heard of it. While many scars and problems from the Civil War persisted, America stayed united. And the celebration of thanks was adopted through and served as a uniting factor to help bring us together.

What better time to forget about the negative of politics and remember the good than Thanksgiving. Get together with your friends and family. Share a bounty of delicious turkey and trimmings. Play games and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. And most importantly, turn off the TV and focus on what really matters, your loved ones.

Written by Benjamin Ellefson, the author of the children’s book The Land without Color. Learn more at http://www.benjaminellefson.com/Land-without-Color/