In this special Thanksgiving edition of Office Hours, Jeremy and Dr. Roy unpack the real history behind one of America’s most celebrated holidays — and the myths many of us learned as kids.
Starting with the Pilgrims and their Puritan roots, they trace the deeper story of early English settlements, tobacco economics, the Jamestown narrative, and the complex relationships with Native nations like the Wampanoag. Together they explore Squanto’s role in the Pilgrims’ survival, how Thanksgiving traditions actually formed, and the devastating events that followed — including King Philip’s War and the long-term impacts of settler colonialism.
This conversation moves beyond nostalgia, confronting the difficult truths embedded in the holiday: the violence, displacement, and cultural suppression faced by Native American communities. Dr. Roy breaks down how national myths take shape, why they persist, and what it means to reconcile with our history today.
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🔉 Dr. Roy Casagranda Podcast 🔉
Podcast Spotify ▶ https://open.spotify.com/show/6aebF9BEErbbiTLEHEyV6z
Apple Podcast ▶ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dr-roy-casagranda-podcast/id1837193563
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Chapters
00:00:00 Opening & Childhood Thanksgiving Myths
00:03:10 Who the Pilgrims Really Were
00:07:20 Jamestown Story, Tobacco & Colonial Violence
00:10:00 The Mayflower Mislanding in Massachusetts
00:14:00 Squanto, Prior English Contact & Survival
00:17:00 Turkey Origins & Early Food Traditions
00:19:35 Puritans, Calvinism & Growing Tensions
00:23:45 Conversion, “Praying Towns,” and Cultural Breakdown
00:30:30 Poisoning of Alexander & Rising Conflict
00:33:14 Mythmaking, National Identity & Thanksgiving
00:37:10 Modern Thanksgiving: Football, Black Friday & Nostalgia
00:41:25 Gratitude vs. Historical Reality
00:42:16 Reconciling America’s Past
00:52:00 Privilege, Identity & Generational Responsibility
01:02:00 Modern Native Issues, Legal Barriers & Paths Forward
01:11:10 Final Reflections on Gratitude & Community
#ThanksgivingHistory #NativeAmericanHistory #AmericanHistory #HistoryExplained #IndigenousHistory
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