Given that Pres. Kennedy had to agree that Thanksgiving was at  
Berkeley Plantation in Charles City prior to Pilgrims, I do hope  
you've included that in the program. If this is yet another Pilgrim- 
centric show, then historical accuracy is for what?

The more the Pilgrims are the focus, the more difficult it is to  
change perceptions.

Lyle Browning, RPA


On Oct 7, 2008, at 12:35 PM, Catherine Moore wrote:

> Greetings VA-HIST Members,
>
> The latest installment of the new public radio show about American  
> history, "BackStory With the American History Guys"--hosted by Peter  
> Onuf, Ed Ayers, and Brian Balogh and based at Charlottesville's  
> Virginia Foundation for the Humanities--is a history of  
> Thanksgiving. Here is a blurb describing the show:
>
> American As Pumpkin Pie: A History of Thanksgiving
> When you think of Thanksgiving, what comes to mind? Turkey on the  
> table? Football on TV? Dad in a dress? Before the 1900s, it was  
> common among the lower classes for cross-dressing masqueraders to  
> parade drunkenly through the city demanding Thanksgiving treats. Our  
> more solemn Thanksgiving begins not with the Pilgrims, but with the  
> Victorians, who sought a national holiday honoring home and family.   
> In 1863, one such Victorian, Sarah Hale, convinced President Lincoln  
> to declare Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November. So did  
> Thanksgiving strengthen the Union as Lincoln hoped?  What relation  
> do Indians have to the holiday in reality and in myth? How readily  
> have immigrants adopted stuffing and cranberry sauce?  And what are  
> we celebrating, anyway?
>
> I would like to invite you all to participate as callers on the  
> show--how is the history of this holiday related to Virginia's  
> story? Being a caller takes about ten minutes and involves asking a  
> question or sharing a story related to the topic at hand with the  
> (very informed and friendly) hosts and sticking around for the  
> discussion to follow. We are recording calls this Thursday morning  
> (10/9) from 8-11am EST. If you are interested, please email me ASAP ([log in to unmask] 
> ) and I can give you more details. Find out more about the show at www.backstoryradio.org 
> . *Please feel free to share this announcement with any friends,  
> family, or colleagues you think might be interested.* Thank you for  
> your time and I hope to hear from you soon!
>
> -- 
> Catherine Moore
> Assisting Producer of Research
> BackStory With the American History Guys
> Virginia Foundation for the Humanities Radio
> 145 Ednam Drive
> Charlottesville, VA 22903
> 434-924-4403
> www.backstoryradio.org
> [log in to unmask]
>
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