The pioneers coming in the Mayflower were legal or illegal aliens?

Question

I guess they did not have green card. Right? Did they apply for the apache citizenship?

Most of you misunderstood my question. I am not saying that we should open the borders. But many white Americans consider this land as theirs because "They were here first". That is the argument I do not buy.

Answer 1

I think we need to get off what has happened in the past. It cannot be changed. This is 2007 and we have a major problem with illegal immigration in the United States.

Answer 2

The PIONEERS crossed the frontier in covered wagons heading west from the already settled east. The PILGRIMS arrived on the Mayflower. There was no legal or illegal status for the pilgrims, as there was no country with borders and no laws governing immigration. There were no green cards or applications for citizenship with the Apache Nation (Note: the Apache resided in the West not the East where the PILGRIMS landed). This issue isn't about the color of the skin of the citizens of this country. Or the color of the skin of those breaking the law to come into this country. This issue is simply about people breaking the law and thinking they have the right to do so, just because their own country is a mess. If you want to work in this country, apply for a Visa. If you want to become a citizen of the United States, apply for a Visa and then apply for citizenship, like everyone else has since immigration laws were passed. Some people have been waiting years to get here. What gives others the right to by-pass the laws of this nation?

Answer 3

No, the entry into the natives land was not illegal. Actually, the question can be answered in a few short phrases. There was no law that stated America was claimed by any one certain force pre-American establishment. The Indians that lived here had not claimed the land, or established that they were the natural owners of this land. Technically, they just happened to be here, if not by coincidence; then by God's decision. My opinion is thus, since there was no establishment of ownership when the native Americans were here, they technically had no ownership. They were established in tribes too, which makes all the difference, because which tribe owned the land? You see, there was no dominant force. Now when the Europeans arrived here in the land, before it became the United States of America, it was open for the taking. The Indians had no established central power for the gigantic nation, and they certainly were divided amongst each other in tribal fashion. So when the Europeans came here and established hierarchy and constitution, they centralized power, and created unity. Then they claimed the land for England; remember the colonies. But, never the less, this is what happened, so no it was not legal! There was no legal system in place! So how could it have been illegal, and now since we're here, we have established rights, laws and the like. So there is a law that states aliens must obtain papers to come into the U.S. That is the law we have established. Unfortunately for the natives, they had no law against us entering and taking over the land. But, this was a legitimate question, and one that is asked often. But the answer is no.

Answer 4

As Al Gore would say, there was no controlling legal authority to tell them they couldn't come. By contrast, there was one telling them they could go (the English crown).

The Apaches were in the west. The Spanish, not the English or the French, were their problem. For the time being. The English were dealing with tribes like the Mohawks, the Iriquois, the Pequots, and other tribes native to the lands now labeled New England and New York.

Answer 5

Apache citizenship? Unlikely, since they landed in the territory of the Iroquois Confederation. The British Colonies and the Iroquois Confederation eventually did negotiate treaties that regulated such things as trade and settlements, and were Allies in wars against the French and Huron.

In the US, a great deal of land is privately owned, so the land belongs to the person who owns it. In a broader sense, the nation belongs to it's citizens. You're a citizen if you're born here, or are naturalized - it makes no difference who your ancestors were, or when they first set foot on the continent.

Answer 6

That was the age of exploration and settling unpopulated lands. Plus there was no central government and no law against it.

The indians, and I am one, should have not welcomed them to US shores.......but........we did and that is now long in the past.

Those who came here built a unique civilization in the US. We cannot and must not give away citizenship for free to those who break our law and do not really want to become American citizens with loyalty only to America.

Answer 7

Interesting to note you called them pioneers and not aliens or immigrants. They didn't stay and fix their country's problems because they were out exploring for new colonies for their countries. Had the Native Americans been one true nation they might have won the battle of the land.

Also interesting to note that the 1st treaty was between the colony at Plymouth and a tribe for mutual protection against other tribes.

Answer 8

You need to learn more about American Indians. The Apaches were nowhere near the east coast at the time. Tribal boundaries were not always well-defined and changed as tribes fought or otherwise interacted with each other. They did not have the concept of land ownership; land belonged to God, Indians only used it, and generally claimed no "governmental rights" as countries do today.

Green cards would not have been required. Too bad certificates of health were not required either.

Answer 9

legal because this was an open nation hell not even a quarter of the Indian tribes had a concept of government. everyone who come to the country before the passing of the stamp act in 1776, when we declared war on England, consider themselves British. and anyone who didn't come through Eilis island after that to me are consider ILLEGALS. now a days all you have to do is get excepted by a major us university and never leave or walk the dessert and jump the fence. now if those ways aren't back dooring America then i don't know what is. WAKE-UP AMERICA!!!!!

Answer 10

The Pilgrims who came on the Mayflower cannot be considered in the same context as illegal aliens because although the land was populated by indigenous people they lived without borders or established territory. The concept of a "nation" was foreign to them. By comparison, the people today who enter this country illegally do so in full knowledge that they are violating the established territory of a sovereign nation, therefore subject to prosecution under the law.

Answer 11

You are wrong...there were no US laws in order when the people came in on the Mayflower. The settlers established laws of the country and when the immigration laws were put in place, that is when they needed to be followed.