November E-zine: Now Thank We All Our God – Does it really matter which settlers were the first to give thanks?

Across the Commonwealth and across the nation children are tracing their hands and adding construction paper feathers to make turkeys. And while they’re talking about Pilgrims in plain dress and black hats with buckles their parents are salivating over the thoughts of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Ah, the traditions of Thanksgiving Day…hardly any of which are based in fact.

When most Americans think about Thanksgiving, thoughts turn to the Mayflower, Plymouth Plantation and, yes, the Pilgrims who, according to tradition held a feast in 1621 to give thanks to God for his bounty. While, traditions aside, that may be true, it wasn’t the first American Thanksgiving.

Almost two years prior to the New England feast, on December 4, 1619 settlers at Berkeley Hundred on the James River celebrated a day of Thanksgiving. For the Virginia settlers, the day was required by their charter. “We ordaine that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned for plantacon in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.”

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This article originally appeared in the November Issue of “Virginia Politics On Demand“.
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About the author

Michael Fletcher

Michael Fletcher works as a freelance writer and consultant in Richmond, Virginia. He blogs regularly at http://www.thewritesideofmybrain.com, http://www.richmondvabusiness.com and http://365thingsibelieve.wordpress.com