Back to where we kicked you out from

[Gob]

The President of the United States is to be invited to Plymouth to attend the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim Fathers.

The anniversary is not until 2020, but the leader of Plymouth Council said it was important "to get in early".

Tudor Evans said he, or the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, would write to the White House "soon".

The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth in September 1620, with 102 "pilgrim fathers" bound for a new life.

Speaking to BBC News, Mr Evans said the scale of the anniversary was such that it required "quite a lot of forward planning" and he would be asking the prime minister and other world leaders to support the event.

"Although everybody knows the Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, we want to get this event in the national diary," he said.

"We're starting the campaign now to get the prime minister to declare it an event of international significance."

Mr Evans said because of the time scale involved, the invitation will not be issued specifically to President Barack Obama.

"The way these things work you have to flag it up almost like a 'to whom it may concern' letter," he said.

"We know that the G8 summit is going to be in the UK that year, but obviously the invitations haven't been sent out yet."

Work on the celebrations is under way and representatives from Plymouth Chamber of Commerce will travel to Plymouth, Massachusetts in May.

"So whether it's Prime Minister Cameron or Prime Minister Milliband - whoever it will be in 2020, we need to have it in the diary," Mr Evans added.

The Mayflower arrived in "New Plymouth", Massachusetts on 21 December, 1620 at a spot now known as Plymouth Rock.

Photo I took of the Mayflower steps, when we were in Plymouth on our last UK holiday, here.

[Sue U]

Pilgrims, meh. Bunch of separatist religious zealots looking to impose their own nonconforming conformity. It is perhaps telling that the crew of the Mayflower's companion ship poked holes in its hull and made it leak so they could get out of going along with them.

The settlers at Jamestown never get the press the Plymouth Colony does, but they were here first and with values more in line with American sacred tradition: unbridled economic exploitation.

[liberty]

I wish I could remember the name of the sister ship. Some believe it was a conspiracy that the over sized mask was installed intentionally to cause stress on hull and their by leaks. The Puritans were seen as gullible. If I remember correctly the ship was bought by investors that removed the oversized mask and sold the ship at a nice profit.

The Puritans did manintain peace with their indians neighbors for about fifty years.

[Guinevere]

Pilgrims, meh. Bunch of separatist religious zealots looking to impose their own nonconforming conformity. It is perhaps telling that the crew of the Mayflower's companion ship poked holes in its hull and made it leak so they could get out of going along with them.

The settlers at Jamestown never get the press the Plymouth Colony does, but they were here first and with values more in line with American sacred tradition: unbridled economic exploitation.

As a resident of the Old Colony, I resent your dismissal of the puritan beliefs that underlie so much of what this country is --- don't forget those old Pilgrims (and their descendants) set up the process for free education and established the first constitutional right to same, in our young nation. And for heavens' sakes, Massachusetts has turned out pretty well -- we have the most and best educated population in the country, living one of the highest standards of living. All without Jersey barries running down our roads

[Sue U]

And for heavens' sakes, Massachusetts has turned out pretty well

Yes, but how do you account for Rhode Island?

[Guinevere]

And for heavens' sakes, Massachusetts has turned out pretty well

Yes, but how do you account for Rhode Island?

They were the outcasts -- mostly from Connecticut. Clearly not preppy enough . . .

[rubato]

What percent of the American genome came from the Puritans?

Less than W. Africa or Ireland, far less, I suspect.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

What percent of the American genome came from the Puritans?

Less than W. Africa or Ireland, far less, I suspect.

yrs,
rubato

My god, I think he's right!

It is quite possible that the large-scale Puritan emigration to New England which ceased by 1641, with around 21,000 having moved across the Atlantic, has a smaller contribution to the US genome than the mass importation of slaves, which proves...

....hang about....

.....what has this to do with anything.....

[Lord Jim]

The settlers at Jamestown never get the press the Plymouth Colony does

That's because they didn't have as good a PR operation as the Pilgrims....

That whole sit down dinner with the Injuns thing....

Pure marketing genius...

[Crackpot]

Not to mention having the forethought of choosing a name that wouldn't someday become synonymous with mass suicide.

[Sue U]

That was Jonestown. And in fact Guyana was.one of the potential colony sites the Pilgrims were considering.

[rubato]

What percent of the American genome came from the Puritans?

Less than W. Africa or Ireland, far less, I suspect.

yrs,
rubato

My god, I think he's right!

It is quite possible that the large-scale Puritan emigration to New England which ceased by 1641, with around 21,000 having moved across the Atlantic, has a smaller contribution to the US genome than the mass importation of slaves, which proves...

....hang about....

.....what has this to do with anything.....

Back to where we kicked a tiny fraction of you out from.

The contributions to what is now "us" from immigrants from Russia, Germany, Sweden, Poland, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Denmark, China, Japan, Vietnam, Africa, Portugal &c is much greater.

And as it turns out we kicked you out.

yrs,
rubato

[Gob]

Oh god, his total absense of a.... sense of humour .......comes shining through...