The Mayflower Compact: First Government Document Of Plymouth Colony

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

In Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford, the colonists face trials of many kinds. From ships sinking, to being blown off course, and landing in the winter, they were put in an awful position. Yet, they got through it by, “Showing herein their true love for their friends and brethren; a rare example and worth to be remembered.” They survive by these men who stayed strong. “And yet the Lord so upheld these persons as in this general calamity

President Abraham Lincoln said, “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” Lincoln was talking about how the people control the government, and the people should not try to overthrow the government (since they control it). The Magna Carta blazed the trail for due process, coming out of a tyranny. John Locke brought about the ideas of natural rights, while the Mayflower Compact showed that a group of people could work together to be part of a thriving, self-government. The Magna Carta, John Locke, and the Mayflower Compact’s idea on government; which influenced the American government, by its ideas on rights and the social contract, made American society want to gain rights and make a fair, equal government, due to the British government restricting rights.

The Mayflower landed on Massachusetts bay in 1620, some distance away from their intended destination of Virginia and out of the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company. The colonists signed the Mayflower Compact thus establishing a "civil body politic". This was the commencement of another colonial area which would prove to be much different than the already developing Chesapeake region but also share some similarities. The New England and Chesapeake colonies were socially similar yet developed different economies and ways of life. Slave labor was a much larger factor of economic development in the Chesapeake areas. And religious beliefs had a larger force in shaping life in the New England colonies. However, both regions encountered similar tensions with native Americans over land.

On September 6, 1620, 102 men, women and children from England boarded a small cargo boat called the Mayflower and set sail for the New World. The passengers left their homes in England in search of religious freedom from the King of England. Today they are known as "pilgrims."

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 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).

The earliest English settlements in Northern America consisted of Jamestown, Plymouth, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Pilgrims were Separatists that journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Mayflower in 1620 in order to break away from the corrupt Church of England. They established the colony of Plymouth where they were able to practice their religion freely. Similarly, another Christian group called the Puritans, left England in 1630, also seeking refuge to practice their beliefs freely. John Winthrop created the notion of the “City Upon a Hill” for the Massachusetts Bay colony that exemplified the ‘pure’ lifestyle and governance that would influence other societies (Doc D). The United States has a long history of religious splintering and various religious movements- over 900 denominations of

Puritans Structure and new world have three significant events and one leading man. Puritans on the Mayflower traveling to the Massachusetts Bay colony were led by John Winthrop. In the spring of 1630, John Winthrop composed and delivered what is known to be one of the most famous speeches in American history, “A Model of Christian Charity” and had everyone sign an agreement. The agreement consisted of working together when they reached the new world. Finding success in good planning, substantial capital, and political influence back in England. Winthrop 's core goal, was simple; to create a society out of a tight knit community of towns that were to be economically, politically, and religiously prosperous. Thereby, being a model to the world by adopting the image to the colony was a “City upon a Hill” and where “the eyes of all people are upon us.” Then when the Mayflower arrived in Provincetown harbor, at the tip of Cape Cod, on November 11, 1620, and then moved on to Plymouth Bay colony in early December. The “A Model of Christian Charity” speech that was given on the mayflower was then printed as an essay and widely distributed; the essay then

Ten weeks into the journey,the mayflower was coming across the Atlantic Ocean. The voyage must be completed by the

When the Mayflower sailed over to the New World, on the boats were Puritans that were looking for a change in the way that their religion was practiced where the Chesapeake settlers came over for gold. Alongside the Puritans were the Separatists who

became a royal colony directly under his control. In contrast, The New Englanders took political interests in account in they way from England when they prepared the Mayflower Compact. The pact eventually led to the patriarchal society assembling to make their own laws in open-discussions in town meetings and general court. Unlike, the Chesapeake, the New Englanders were fortunate to have leaders like William Bradford to emerge as Governor and enforce God's biblical laws and Christian values to make the theocratic government successful.

The pilgrims arrived to Plymouth, Massachusetts December 11, 1620. Massachusetts during this time was a cold and dreary place. As the newly arrived pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower in their layers of stockings, waistcoats, petticoats, and breeches they knew nothing about the people or the new land they had arrived to. Considering Planting season had come and gone the newly arrived pilgrims had to find a way to survive. If the pilgrims wanted to survive they would have to learn how to tend and manage the land from their Native American friends the Wampanoag.

America’s main influence from history has been from a religious standpoint. Common religious beliefs have been ingrained into our government bodies and even into our every day culture and tendencies. Religion has made a major impact on American lively hood since the early days of settlement. Due to Americas strong religious ties, religion has been ingrained in our literature, influencing and directing our culture. The writers Jonathan Edwards and William Bradford have had a major influence on American culture through literature in their writings, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and Of Plymouth Plantation.