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"No,
no, the first Thanksgiving? That was in 1607."
"Nope," said the other, "1621. I'm sure of it. 1621 in Massachusetts."
I was slightly out of earshot, but I recognized the voices of two of my
colleagues as I sat on the House floor and knew they shared with me a
love of history. I turned and walked over to them.
"Actually, gentlemen," I said. "You are both wrong."
My statement was met with surprise.
"The first Thanksgiving was held in Virginia on the James River in
1619."
"What?" they both said.
"Really." I responded. "Look it up."
And really, it is true. Most Americans cling to the familiar story of
Thanksgiving with Pilgrims who set sail on the Mayflower and landed on
Plymouth Rock and found themselves in tumultuous times of famine and
struggles as they tried to settle in a new land. With the help of the
Native Americans, the pilgrims were able to cultivate crops and bring an
end to the settler’s early struggles. To celebrate, the Pilgrims had a
grand community feast to show their gratitude for the Native Americans
and their happiness with the new land. That story is told to children
all across the United States each November.
You may not realize that Thanksgiving was not officially declared a
national holiday until October 3, 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln
proclaimed that the last Thursday of November (which was later changed
to the fourth Thursday) would be Thanksgiving Day, a day of national
thanksgiving and praise to God. He did so in response to a magazine
editor who wrote to him encouraging him to proclaim a national day of
Thanksgiving as a way to increase national pride in the midst of the
Civil War. And before this official proclamation by Abraham Lincoln
establishing a national day of Thanksgiving, there were many accounts of
thanksgiving celebrations that took place across our developing nation,
like the ones my colleagues on the House floor were discussing.
But there is one such account that should make Virginians particularly
proud, because the story of the first Thanksgiving actually happened in
the Commonwealth of Virginia. Nearly two years before the settlers
landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusettes, a group of settlers made
their way across a grassy knoll to a place now known as Berkeley
Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. Before they made their journey to
the new land, the King of England told them “on the day of the ship's
arrival shall be yearly and perpetually kept as a day of thanksgiving."
On December 4, 1619, the settlers arrived at the future site of Berkeley
Plantation in Virginia. Their Captain, John Woodlief, instructed the
colonists to drop to their knees in prayer, to thank God for their safe
arrival to the new land, and in doing so, they celebrated the very first
Thanksgiving. Some historians report that these settlers likely feasted
on small meals of peas, cinnamon water, cornmeal cake, and, of course,
Virginia ham.
On Monday, November 19, I traveled to Berkeley Plantation, along with
President Bush, to commemorate the 1619 landing of the original
colonists at Berkeley Plantation and the first official Thanksgiving in
the United States. As Virginians, this is a historical account that we
should be proud to share with others and another significant part of the
rich history that is Virginia’s.
This Thanksgiving, whatever your family's traditions may be, may your
homes be filled with gratitude, warmth, and fond memories as we give
thanks for our families, our democracy, our everyday freedoms in the
United States and all of those who have fought to give us those
freedoms. As you sit around the dinner table with family and friends, I
encourage you to share the story of the true first Thanksgiving that
occurred at Berkeley Plantation in the Commonwealth of Virginia and
allow it to be a reminder that, as Virginians, we have the opportunity
to be both thankful and proud.
For more historic information on Thanksgiving, visit these sites below:
Library of Congress Thanksgiving Timeline
Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation of Thanksgiving Day
About
Berkeley Plantation
Thanksgiving Day Facts from the US Census Bureau
Digital
Tour of the Fourth District
Sweeping from the south-central portion of the state to the
south-eastern shorelines, the Fourth Congressional District is home to
major agricultural areas including large peanut and corn fields,
beautiful coastal waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and the Dismal Swamp
Canal, and one of the largest military installations in the state. The
Fourth District covers one of Virginia’s most diverse regions.
Click the photo below to go to our
Fourth
District photo gallery and take a digital tour of some of the most
beautiful spots across the Fourth District.
The Chesterfield Courthouse in
Chesterfield, Virginia. The first Chesterfield County courthouse was
erected in 1750. In 1917 it was demolished and replaced by this larger
Georgian Revival brick building that served the county until the 1960s. |