For many in the United States, the story of the first Thanksgiving often paints a picture of harmony, where the Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down together to share a peaceful meal. This version of history, while widely taught, seems overly idealized when we examine the darker reality of European colonization in the Americas. As we grow older and learn more about the harsh treatment of Native peoples by European settlers, it becomes clear that the cheerful Thanksgiving narrative is a sugar-coated version of the truth. In reality, these disease-ridden Europeans arrived in the Americas, seized land, and wiped out hundreds of thousands of Native Americans through violence, disease, and forced displacement.

Thanks to Mike Meyers for the theme music, you can follow him on X @themikeshow42.

The background music of this episode is “Background Scan Master” by John Bartmann (Free Music Archive)(CC0 1.0) ⁠https://tinyurl.com/backgroundscanJB⁠

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