How Washington united America on first official Thanksgiving

+ returning the ‘three sisters’ – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ US Edition - Today's top story: How George Washington used his first Thanksgiving as president to unite a new country [View in browser]( US Edition | 26 November 2020 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair Thanksgiving 2020 is taking place in homes across America – a country emerging from a bitter election that confirmed its deep divisions. On Thanksgiving 1789, his first as president, George Washington led a nation similarly in need of unification. Washington knew his young country faced forces that could pull it apart. As [historian Maurizio Valsania writes](, Washington “recognized that the United States was born out of slavery, conquest and violence as much as of sacred principle. Civic unification required acknowledgment of these flaws.” So Washington issued a Thanksgiving proclamation that asked God “to pardon our national and other transgressions.” And he advised his fellow citizens to make Thanksgiving a holiday in which “we may then all unite.” And in a phrase that resonates across the centuries, Washington asked God to “render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed.” Here at The Conversation, we’re giving thanks for all our readers, authors and donors. We’re grateful for your support. Happy Thanksgiving! Also today: - [How to keep the peace during your holiday feast]( - [Protect your guests: Wear a mask]( - [One way Plymouth was progressive, 400 years before #MeToo]( Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Society President George Washington aimed to unify the country with his first Thanksgiving message. Getty Images [How George Washington used his first Thanksgiving as president to unite a new country]( Maurizio Valsania, Università di Torino For his first presidential Thanksgiving, George Washington aimed to pull his country together in the face of the many internal divisions that could yank it apart. Science + Technology - [‘Constructive arguing’ can help keep the peace at your Thanksgiving table]( James M. Honeycutt, University of Texas at Dallas Talking with people who hold different political views doesn't have to be an exercise in futile rage. Here are some tips to help you peacefully and fruitfully discuss spicy topics. - [I’ve started acknowledging the people who lived on this land first – and you should too]( Chip Colwell, University of Colorado Denver An anthropologist who's researched the dispossession of Native Americans and their enduring connections to ancestral places sees the value in asking 'whose land are you on?' - [Light versus dark – the color of the turkey meat is due to the job of the muscle]( Joshua Selsby, Iowa State University Sit down to Thanksgiving dinner ready to amaze your companions with physiological facts about why different cuts of the turkey have different characteristics. Health - [Why face masks belong at your Thanksgiving gathering – 7 things you need to know about wearing them]( Jason Farley, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing More states are adding mask mandates as COVID-19 cases soar. If you’re traveling, shopping or seeing friends and family in person, masks are a crucial protective measure. Education - [Where are the voices of indigenous peoples in the Thanksgiving story?]( Sarah B Shear, Penn State American textbooks confine the history of indigenous peoples to a distant past. Should history textbooks be revised to include Native American voices? Arts + Culture - [In the 1620s, Plymouth Plantation had its own #MeToo moment]( Carla Gardina Pestana, University of California, Los Angeles An ex-minister named John Lyford arrived at the nascent colony hoping for a fresh start. But he couldn't escape his past. Environment + Energy - [Returning the ‘three sisters’ – corn, beans and squash – to Native American farms nourishes people, land and cultures]( Christina Gish Hill, Iowa State University For centuries Native Americans intercropped corn, beans and squash because the plants thrived together. A new initiative is measuring health and social benefits from reuniting the "three sisters." Trending on Site - [Pro-mask or anti-mask? Your moral beliefs probably predict your stance]( Eugene Y. Chan, Purdue University Here's how governments can get more people to follow COVID-19 guidelines. - [Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is cheaper than Pfizer’s and Moderna’s and doesn’t require supercold temperature]( Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University There is now a third vaccine that prevents COVID-19 infections. It isn't quite as effective as the other two vaccines but it has advantages that may make it the frontrunner. - [How mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna work, why they’re a breakthrough and why they need to be kept so cold]( Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University There are two new COVID-19 vaccines that appear to be more than 90% effective. But what are these vaccines, and how are they different from those used previously? You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. 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