Queen Elizabeth II made a speech in Jamestown, Virginia, yesterday to mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of America as a European conquest.
I'm pretty sure it went right over your heads, so I'll try to translate the English for you. In her soft-spoken way, the Queen chides America for being too much like its founders at Jamestown, pursuing profit at the cost of violence, theft, social injustice and slavery.
For years now I have appreciated the role of the Queen as the head of state. The Queen allows Britons to hate the prime minister while still being loyal to the nation, something that America desperately needed in the days when hating George W. Bush meant being tarred as a traitor. When she speaks, I listen, because very often she says something we needed to hear that no politician could say as well. She's on loan to you Yanks for a few days. Enjoy.
Thank you for your generous welcome to Virginia. Prince Philip and I are delighted to be here in your state capital today, designed by that great Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, and so painstakingly restored over recent years.
Her Majesty starts the speech by invoking Thomas Jefferson, who not only designed the Virginia capital, but was also an architect of the Constitution and the democratic form of government America enjoyed until the 2000 election. She praises the restoration of the capital, remaining tactfully silent about the need for restoration of Jefferson's other legacy.
As a state, and as a nation, you are still coming to terms with the dreadful events at Virginia Tech on the 16th of April. My heart goes out to the students, friends and families of all those killed, and to the many others who have been affected, some of whom I shall be meeting shortly.
On behalf of the people of the United Kingdom, I extend my deepest sympathies at this time of such grief and sorrow.
'Nuf said.
I visit the United States this week to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the landing of a small group of British citizens on a tiny island in what is now called the James River, here in Virginia.
With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that, in that event, the origins of a singular endeavor, the building of a great nation, founded on the eternal values of democracy and equality, based on the rule of law and the promotion of freedom.
But we should always be cautious of hindsight. Four hundred years ago, it was by no means preordained that this venture would succeed. Recent archaeological work has modified our understanding of the original settlement at Jamestown, about the choice of its location and the kind of people who came.
400 years ago some toffs with the Virginia Company came to America with a charter to find gold and a route to the Orient. They stole land in a swamp to build a fort, slaughtered the locals, introduced slavery and were rewarded with serial disasters that pretty much wiped them out. Nonetheless, America celebrates these greedy and violent losers at Jamestown with the rosy vision of hindsight as an exemplar of the myths of American progress.
While it remains difficult to say what it was about those early years which caught that vital moment in the evolution of this great country, it must surely have had something to do with the ingenuity, the drive and the idealism of that group of adventurers who first set foot on this fertile Virginia soil, and the will of the Powhattan people to find ways to coexist.
When I visited 50 years ago we celebrated the 350th anniversary largely from the perspective of those settlers, in terms of the exploration of new worlds, the spread of values and of the English language, and the sacrifice of those early pioneers.
These remain great attributes, and we still appreciate their impact today. But 50 years on, we are now in a position to reflect more candidly on the Jamestown legacy.
The Brits who landed at Jamestown were "adventurers" seeking profit (a bad thing). The Powhattans were trying to get along. An honest reflection on Jamestown - which was not possible 50 years ago in America - means the white guys weren't the good guys. While not apologising, the Queen is saying that she is willing to be honest about the history of Britain in promoting invasion, occupation and misery in the pursuit of profit.
Human progress rarely comes without cost. And those early years in Jamestown, when three great civilizations came together for the first time, Western European, Native American and African, released a train of events which continues to have a profound social impact, not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The interaction of invaders (white), invaded (red) and enslaved (black) has shaped America and Europe for 400 years. A lot of good has come of the American experiment, but the profound social impacts deserve more honest assessment of the costs to those who lost out.
Over the course of my reign, and certainly since I first visited Jamestown in 1957, my country has become a much more diverse society, just as the Commonwealth of Virginia and the whole United States of America have also undergone major social change.
The "melting pot" metaphor captures one of the great strengths of your country, and is an inspiration to others around the world, as we face the continuing social challenges ahead.
It is right that we continue to reassess the meaning of historical events in the changing context of the present, not least in this, the 200th anniversary, in the United Kingdom, of the act of parliament to abolish the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Diversity is the strength of America, and the example of America in growing and changing with a diverse population is its finest gift to a world of nations that are increasingly blended societies of racially and religiously diverse peoples. Being honest about our history means taking off the blinders and reassessing right from wrong to work toward improving social justice and tolerance and the rule of law.
But such reassessments should not obscure one enduring consequence of Jamestown. This 400th anniversary marks a moment to recognize the deep friendship which exists between our two countries.
Friendship is a complex concept. It means being able to debate openly, disagree on occasion, surmount both good times and bad, safe in the knowledge that the bonds that draw us together, of history, understanding and warm regard are far stronger than any temporary differences of opinion.
Despite the fact that we sometimes regard America as deluded and wrong, Britain will continue to be an ally.
The people of the United Kingdom have such a relationship with the people of this great nation. It is one of the most durable international collaborations anywhere in the world, at any time in history, a friendship for which I certainly, in my lifetime, have had good cause to be thankful.
That is a lasting legacy of Jamestown that is something worth commemorating. And that is why I am pleased to be here today.
Britain and America can still cooperate on foolish, ill-planned, bloody, violent, unjust adventures to conquer other peoples' lands for profit and steal their natural resources, but it will likely lead to disaster for all concerned and centuries of recriminations.
While at the capital the Queen met with the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting and with Oliver W. Hill, a 100 year old attorney who fought for the desegregation of Virginia schools. Since every act of the Queen is symbolic, the choice of shooting victims and civil rights hero reinforce her message.