On Jun 27, 9:13*pm, purple wrote:
On 6/27/2010 10:58 PM, Mike wrote:
* when do you think all this started?

With the Mayflower.

The Mayflower colonists were English subjects who voyaged to "Northern
Virginia" under a charter from King James.

They were never "immigrants" into any established country, because
there were no established governments in the region, just wandering
savage tribes who did not understand the concept of real estate or
land ownership.

According to the extant doctrines of European law, any uncivilized
territory could be claimed for king and country by any explorer
sailing under the flag of his country.

And that's what happened. There were no cities and no civilization
along the east coast.

The Mayflower colonists never left the territory of the British empire
and they took English law to Massachusetts with them, in the form of a
governor appointed by the king.