Star spangled celebrations

NATALIE MILLAR-PARTRIDGE visits New England for Devon Life to discover how Americans plan to mark the Mayflower’s role in their country’s formation

- NATALIE MILLAR-PARTRIDGE

The 2020 celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower sailing from Plymouth to America are in full swing in the United States. The Mayflower’s passengers were in search of a new life – some seeking religious freedom, others a fresh start in a different land; today around 35 million people can trace their ancestry back to the Pilgrims – meaning, Mayflower 400 commemorations will resonate across the globe.

Many place names in New England originate in the UK, largely as a result of English settlers and explorers of the 13 colonies; Massachusetts has the most with 104 English names for cities, towns, and counties. Rhode Island has the fewest, just 15, Maine has 32, Vermont 36, Connecticut 31 and New Hampshire – named after Hampshire, England, by John Mason, the colony’s first proprietor – has 47.

Whilst 2020 will see a global commemoration of the sailing of the Mayflower in 1620 the states of New England will be at the heart of the celebrations. The decisions made and the connections fostered, were critical to the foundations of America, with the story actually beginning in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when 41 pilgrims spent five weeks exploring Cape Cod, setting sail once more to establish Plymouth Colony in Plymouth, MA, and signing the Mayflower Compact – the catalyst for American democracy.

Today these democratic values of liberty, justice and freedom of expression resonate through four centuries of American history, embodying the fabric of Provincetown’s identity.