Mayflower Compact Essay

The Mayflower Compact was the first document creating a crude agreement for self-government in America and has been referred to

Written documents proved to be a major influence on the unification of the American colonies. Beginning as early as 1620, when the Separatist Pilgrims left the jurisdiction of the Church of England and escaped the “Dutchification” of their children in Holland to go to the New World, the establishment of self-government through the Mayflower Compact became present. It was heavily based off of the Magna Carta of 1215 which provided the foundation of the rule of law. Created and signed by the adult males onboard, the document stated that the Pilgrims would “combine [themselves] together into one civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation” (Document 1). It went on to declare that they would abide by the newly formed laws and elect officers. This led to the creation of town meetings, places of direct democracy where men could work together with each other to create laws.

Mayflower Compact-signed before leaving the ship, the Mayflower Compact wad the first form of self government within the colonies. It was not a constitution but an agreement to form a crude government and to submit to the will of the majority under the regulations agreed upon. The compact would set a precedent for future constitutions

The ideas in the Mayflower Compact were later transferred into the Declaration of Independence and gave footing for democracy in America.

The Plymouth colony was originally intended to be in Virginia but the Mayflower veered off course and landed in Cape Cod, modern day Massachusetts. The Plymouth colony was founded by the radical Puritan sect called the Separatists (also known as the Pilgrims). This colony was founded to escape the persecution of the British crown. Conveniently, the location of their colony placed them outside the jurisdiction of British rule which allowed them to form their own government based on the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact allowed them to create their own laws and made them no longer subjects of British

The creation the Mayflower compact was a very significant event in the history of the United States because of its example of a the first type of government in North America. The Mayflower Compact was draw up by a group of people known as Pilgrims in 1620. These people, mostly English, were in search of more religious freedom and better lives in the New World. 100 pilgrims began this journey in September of 1620 (History.com staff). Before, landing in New England, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. This legal document created “just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices” (History.com staff). This was the first example of a self-government in the New World. The founding fathers would later use many of the ideas in the Mayflower Compact in other governing documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Through these examples, it is clear that the Mayflower Compact is significant to American history because it provided many ideas of self government that are still used in our governing documents today.

The passengers of the Mayflower had received a patent or charter for settlement in Virginia. However, since they were in New England, they felt that the patent no longer was valid. This reason and the fact that the colonists were no longer under the control of English rule, inspired them to write the Mayflower Compact.

The Mayflower Compact, written and signed in 1620 by forty-one white men aboard a ship called the Mayflower, provided basic laws for those who first arrived in America. Eventually the thirteen colonies expanded, which brought an economical benefit and expanded trade for Britain. However, in the mid-1700s, Britain pushed the colonists to their limits, imposing them with unfair taxes. As a result, in 1775, colonists revolted in the American Revolution. When the war ended, colonists gained their freedom, from Britain, with the signing of The Treaty of Paris (1783).

They were not able to change the ways in Great Britain so the group decided to move to North America. Not on the bases of Jamestown to profit of new land but to be able to practice their beliefs freely. They wanted to be self-governed and to establish education and a new rules they felt fit for their people. In 1630 the Puritans sailed to America and established the town of Plymouth County. The settlers of Massachusetts suffered the same problems as Jamestown with lack of food, disease, and issues with Natives. Jamestown however, was believers of Anglican faith, which was the Church of England. While the Puritans where the first self-governed colony. and religiously free from the mother

After they felt that they were losing their English culture, the separatists, who would later be called Pilgrims, settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Both Plymouth and Jamestown came from England. All people from England created these towns in what they called the “new world”. One thing that they didn’t know was that there was going to be starvation and death. Adjusting to a new plain environment can be risky and unsafe in many ways. But in luck, they met the native americans who provided them with some food and supplies to help

The novel Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick has a long list of things to teach us about the New World. The fact that it’s showed us that the very first pilgrims had no idea what they were in for was crucial. They were hit with the realization that the Natives would be wild and ferocious instead of calm and tame. They’d known they would be introduced to new ways of life, and disease, but they didn’t suspect that it’d be the most destructive part to the goodwill of the newly born colony.

In the novel Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, the author educates us on how the New World was discovered and created. It all started with a group of roughly 100 men and women who originated from England known as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were sick and tired of the lack of religious freedom and work/economic opportunities. There was no future for the Pilgrims in England. This was all until the group set sail on the Mayflower in order to find new land. After a rough journey, they came across a piece of land now known as New England. The Pilgrims settled here because it was relatively empty. They believed that in New England they would be able to create a godly city or a place where they wouldn’t be criticized for their religious views.

The Mayflower Compact, being the first governing document in the New World, was based on good intentions. William Bradford justifies the Mayflower Compact for the good of the colony and religion. The Mayflower Compact was wrote to combine the people together in the colony. It was to help the colony religiously advance, and to show honor to the King of England by its togetherness. They Mayflower Compact was created for equality in law and in Government. The Mayflower Compact is exactly like a Declaration of Independence for the Colonists. The Mayflower Compact set the outline for the Government in the Virginia colony. This is an example of indepedence because the colonists were self-governing. The colonists were separated from England.

At the start of the film After the Mayflower: We Shall Remain, the English and the Native Americans celebrated the first Thanksgiving together in 1621. Both groups of people seemed trusting of each other and showed personal respect. At this time the Wampanoag Indians had the power and chose to use it to form a treaty with the weak English Pilgrims. The two groups shared everything and traded their assets with each other. As the film continued there was an obvious change in power to the English with more and more Puritan immigrants from Europe arriving. By the end of the movie the English decided to use their power to control all lands instead of keeping the treaty with the native people. The English “thanksgiving” at