Thanks for What Exactly? : A Reflection on Genocide, Enslavement, and Christianity’s Role 

Thanks for What Exactly? : A Reflection on Genocide, Enslavement, and Christianity’s Role by Brent Simon

Thanksgiving, often portrayed as a benign celebration of gratitude and unity, carries a much darker legacy rooted in colonial violence, genocide, and the exploitation of enslaved peoples. While modern narratives focus on feasting and family, the holiday’s origins and historical context reveal a story of conquest and brutality. For Black people in the diaspora, including those in Antigua, Thanksgiving offers an opportunity for critical reflection on the shared legacies of Indigenous genocide, African enslavement, and the Church’s complicity in these atrocities. By confronting this history, we can challenge the myths that obscure systemic oppression and reclaim space for truth and justice.

The origins of Thanksgiving are often linked to the 1621 harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. However, a more accurate starting point for the holiday lies in the Mystic Massacre of 1637, a horrific event during the Pequot War.

The Pequot people, a powerful Indigenous group in present-day Connecticut, resisted English settlers’ attempts to seize their land and dominate the fur trade. On May 26, 1637, English colonists, led by Captain John Mason, allied with the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes, launched a surprise attack on a Pequot village near the Mystic River. The English set the fort on fire, killing an estimated 400–700 Pequot people—primarily women, children, and the elderly—as they tried to escape. Survivors were enslaved or executed.

The English colonists viewed this massacre as a divine victory, celebrating it with a “day of thanksgiving” to their God. Subsequent Thanksgiving proclamations in colonial New England marked similar violent victories over Indigenous peoples, framing genocide as a moral triumph and erasing the humanity of the victims.

The colonial violence that shaped Thanksgiving’s origins mirrors the history of Antigua, where British settlers violently displaced Indigenous populations and established systems of African enslavement. Much like the Pequot in New England, Indigenous Caribbean peoples such as the Arawaks and Caribs were decimated by European diseases, warfare, and forced labor during early colonization.

When the Indigenous populations were nearly wiped out, European colonists turned to the transatlantic slave trade to meet their labor demands. Antigua became a hub for sugar production, with enslaved Africans forced to work under brutal conditions. The parallels between the Mystic Massacre and Antigua’s plantation economy are clear: both involved the dehumanization of entire populations to fuel European expansion and wealth.

Christianity played a central role in justifying the atrocities committed during colonization. Religious doctrines framed the conquest of Indigenous peoples and the enslavement of Africans as divinely ordained, providing moral cover for acts of violence and oppression.

The “Doctrine of Discovery,” a series of Papal Bulls issued in the 15th century, granted European Christian nations the right to claim non-Christian lands and enslave their inhabitants. This ideology underpinned both the Mystic Massacre and the establishment of plantation economies in Antigua. The Puritans viewed their victory over the Pequot as evidence of God’s favor, celebrating massacres as divine triumphs. Churches reinforced these narratives, holding special services to thank God for the settlers’ “successes. In the Caribbean, Christianity was used to justify the enslavement of Africans. Missionaries taught that slavery was part of God’s plan and emphasized obedience to enslavers as a Christian virtue. Plantation churches in Antigua became tools of social control, indoctrinating enslaved Africans while reinforcing their subjugation.

The Church also celebrated the suppression of resistance. In Antigua, after the failed 1736 rebellion led by Prince Klaas, churches framed the executions of rebel leaders as a victory for Christian civilization, mirroring the Puritans’ thanksgiving celebrations after massacres. By embedding these atrocities in religious doctrine, the Church played an active role in legitimizing genocide and slavery, sanctifying acts of violence while profiting from the colonial system.

For Black people in Antigua and the diaspora, the history of Thanksgiving resonates deeply with their own experiences of colonial violence. The systemic exploitation of Indigenous peoples and Africans was justified by the same ideologies of racial and cultural superiority. Both groups were treated as obstacles to European progress, their labor and lands seized to build the wealth of empires.

Thanksgiving, as it is traditionally celebrated, erases these shared histories of resistance and resilience. For Indigenous peoples, it is a National Day of Mourning, a time to reflect on the genocide and cultural erasure they endured. For Black communities, it can be a moment to confront the intertwined legacies of slavery and colonialism, challenging the myths that uphold systemic oppression.

Rather than uncritically celebrating Thanksgiving, Black and Indigenous peoples can use the day as an opportunity for reflection, solidarity, and activism.

We must acknowledge the true history of Thanksgiving, from the Mystic Massacre to the enslavement of Africans in Antigua, ensuring these stories are told and remembered. We must build alliances between Black and Indigenous communities to resist ongoing colonialism and advocate for justice.We must hold institutions like the Church accountable for their roles in legitimizing and profiting from genocide and slavery and push for reparative actions that address these historical wrongs. We must reclaim our culture  and celebrate  the resilience of our ancestors who survived and resisted oppresion. We must reclaim the day as one of reflection and empowerment, rooted in the rich cultural traditions of Africans and Indigenous peoples.

Thanksgiving is not simply a harmless holiday; it is a symbol of colonial violence and the erasure of marginalized histories. The broader systems of genocide and slavery demand critical reflection. By confronting these truths, we can challenge the myths that obscure systemic oppression and reclaim the narrative, transforming Thanksgiving into a day of remembrance, resistance, and hope for a more just future.

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