Setting The Historical Record Straight

It is a common misconception that the first Thanksgiving in Colonial America was celebrated by the Pilgrims in Massachusetts. In fact, English settlers held a Thanksgiving service in Virginia on Dec. 4, 1619 — slightly more than a year before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, and almost two years before the Pilgrims' feast that came to be considered the first Thanksgiving.

On March 1st, National Pig Day, Ginny, the spotted piglet from Virginia, made it her mission to set the historical record straight.

Ginny’s book, Pardon Me. It’s Ham, Not Turkey explains how the Thanksgiving celebration at Berkeley, Virginia predated the Pilgrims’ in Massachusetts by nearly two years and was officially recognized by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 as the nation’s “first” Thanksgiving celebration.

And, while the Massachusetts Pilgrims celebrated with a feast much like the meal Americans now eat on Thanksgiving Day, historians say the settlers at Berkeley Plantation would have had a more meager meal that included pork (ham/bacon), peas, cornmeal cakes, and cinnamon water.

To bring national attention to the issue, Ginny and the PigPardon08 campaign propose that a pig be pardoned alongside a turkey at Thanksgiving in the White House Rose Garden.

An official request for a pardon has been sent to the White House, and The First-Thanksgiving Initiative has gained the support of Senator John Warner, Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Congresswoman Thelma Drake, The History Channel and many prominent businesses and organizations.

The PigPardon08 campaign mission is three-fold: to stimulate children’s interest in American history while correcting a long-held misunderstanding about one of our most important national holidays and help raise funds for the Federation of the Virginia Food Banks.

The campaign has garnered significant media attention and was acknowledged in a letter written by President George W. Bush.