President issues message marking 419th anniversary of 1607 landing at Cape Henry
The White House released a statement framing the historical event as the anchoring of America's birthright of faith, concluding with a pledge to uphold traditions and trust in God.
The President has released a message commemorating the 419th anniversary of the 1607 landing at Cape Henry, Virginia. The address, titled "America 250: Presidential Message on the Anniversary of the First Landing and the Raising of the Cape Henry Cross", highlights the historical significance of the event for the nation's heritage.
According to the statement, the occasion marks the moment when a group of settlers commissioned by King James I and the Virginia Company of London arrived in the New World. The text notes that on April 26, 1607, 104 men completed their Atlantic voyage, guided by a mission to extend Christendom's dominion and spread the Gospel.
Three days after setting foot on American soil, the settlers raised a wooden cross at the crest of Cape Henry. The White House briefing describes this act as a consecration of the new frontier, with Reverend Robert Hunt leading the group in prayer upon fixing the cross into the ground.
The message traces the subsequent journey of the group as they travelled west to establish Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. The source material emphasises the endurance of the settlers against significant hardships, including drought, starvation, and disease, which forged the nation's character before the birth of the United States in 1776.
A granite cross currently stands at the First Landing site in honour of the settlers' resilience and heroic Christian witness, replacing the original wooden structure. The President's pledge in the message commits the nation to uphold American traditions, cherish values, and place trust in Almighty God.
The release frames the 1607 landing as the point where America's birthright of faith was anchored in the sand. It concludes by stating that the nation follows the example of the Jamestown settlers to restore a country that honours its rich spiritual inheritance and advances the common good.