The Mayflower Compact: The Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom

The Mayflower Compact is written to“constitute and frame” the government for the Pilgrims, and the Mayflower Compact contains and applies to law, ordinances, and acts that are meant to be followed by each of the Pilgrims living in northern Virginia. This document exemplifies how the first body of government in North America came to be, and the first laws, ordinances, etc. that were instituted, and it represents how the Mayflower Compact was a basis, and an influence on today’s government.

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson are two of the seven key founding fathers of the United States. The motive of the founders of the U.S. was to establish religious freedom in the colonies; therefore, religion was of importance to them. When the policy of the separation of church and state was enacted by the founding fathers through the Constitution, it meant that under a secular government, religious freedom would always be protected. Issues such as the freedom to practice one’s religion arose in the earlier colonies and the separation of church and states prevents these issues from occurring again. The separation of church and state protects the rights of all and ensures religious freedom. This policy has proven to be nothing but a

In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in

The United States of America has been governed by two Constitutions in its entire history. The Articles of Confederation came into play on March 1, 1781 and was later ratified on June 21, 1788, later known as The Constitution. These important documents allowed our nation to protect itself and ensure the existence of The United States of America. The Articles of Confederation as well as The Constitution allowed for boundaries and rules to be set in place to protect the basic rights of citizens and establish a strong government. One of the greatest documents in all of U.S. history, the Constitution of United States of America was created.

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 Constitution guarded against tyranny by giving the states individual freedom. To become a new nation the colonists needed some form of government, so they formed the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was the first plan of government for the United States beginning during the Revolutionary War, but it had many weaknesses and just wasn't working for the people. One weakness the Articles of Confederation had was that there was no court system.   Another weakness was that the central government could not force a state to pay taxes.

Document One, The Mayflower Compact of 1620, declares that the colonies should enact equal and justified laws. Continuing, this document declares that they speak for the general public, as they state what should take place if the colonies were to be unified. However, the propositions that are spoken of are to be what God desires. Another document that is similar to the first is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut as they include God as a major role in their ideal government. However, this document is more faithful to their religion as one of their primary goals is to preserve the liberty and purity of Jesus. Additionally, they declare that the united government should dispose of any affairs of the people, instead of creating justified laws.

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.

Documents such as the Mayflower Compact and the Bay Colony’s charter, set up stability in the colonies creating a type of constitution. To start off with, The Mayflower Compact was very significant to the English colonies. This document created a union between the colonists; allowing them to create their own laws, Acts, Constitutions, and Ordinances. Ultimately, setting up how the Pilgrims were going to do things in the New World. However, the Mayflower Compact was not a constitution, but it was one of the first steps toward self-government in the Northern colonies.

In 1783, the Americans triumphed in the American Revolution, which granted independence from Great Britain. After their victory, it became evident that the new country would need a secure and central government to thrive. The Constitution is a document formed to aid the new republic and ensure that it would become and remain stable. It gives a complete and thorough outline of the rights that all citizens are entitled to have. However, prior to the ratification of the Constitution there had to be many debates and factors that influenced the idea of such a document that would form the basis for the United States. The creation of the Constitution was a result of America’s perseverance through certain political, economic, and social issues of the 1780s. Even through the unfavorable circumstances, America was able to devise a doctrine that would become to be known as the basis for the greatest country in the world; the US

The U.S. Constitution, drafted by the founding fathers at the constitutional convention, drew from several historical documents, ideas, and figures in order to “form a more perfect union.” Among these influences were the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights, originating in England. However, the U.S. sought to differentiate from England, in order to be better than what they had recently gained independence from. In order to do so, the founding fathers referenced The Mayflower Compact, The Articles of Confederation, Social Contract Theory, Classical history, and Montesquieu. Through the inclusion of these ideas, the United States Constitution made improvements to Great Britain’s government system.

Many people believe this phrase, “separation of church and state”, can be found in the United States Constitution; however, this phrase originated in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. While some people believe this was a secular phrase, other people believe it has more of a religious viewpoint. There are controversial issues that violate this phrase, which includes the presidents using a Bible and saying the phrase “so help me God” during their inauguration ceremony. Another time which violates the phrase “separation of church and state” is during court when someone has to be sworn in to the stand by placing their hand on the Bible. While church and state is best kept separate, one might ask themselves, why Thomas Jefferson, the man who created this controversial phrase, might still show countless religious efforts during his presidency that would violate his own phrase, if he intentionally meant it to be a complete “wall” between the

Separation of Church and State is the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. When James Madison wrote the Constitution he decided to not have god’s name in it. In fact , he didn’t want the government to get involved in any one’s religious believes. However , know in 2015 Separation of Church and State’s biggest issue is Religion. From having “under God” in our pledge of allegiance to being against personal beliefs. Today , the media has made malicious acts that has made the wall between both even longer. In some ways it is better to have a wall , in ways that it benefits both the Church and the State.

Separation of church and state was first mentioned in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association. This letter promised that the new form of American government would not overrun the churches or their religious practices.

The phrase, “separation of church and state” is not found in the U.S. Constitution. On January 1, 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter titled “Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists.” This letter was written in response to a letter sent by the Danbury Baptists nearly three months before. The Danbury Baptist expressed their sentiments at Jefferson’s election and their concerns about the relationship between religion and the state. In the correspondence, Jefferson discussed the importance of the state being unable to control the religion of the people: “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State” (Jefferson). “A wall of separation between Church and State” led to the now widely used phrase, “separation of church and state.”