Why Did The Mayflower Compact

In the very beginning of the British colonies’ rise to importance, a defining factor to its eventual freedom is created, influencing the turn towards a written constitution before the idea of the United States even crossed the minds of revolutionaries. The Mayflower Compact, an important legal document written by colonists waiting to touch land in the Americas in 1620, signifies the importance of written laws and

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

This document attempted “... to temporarily establish that government until a more official one could be drawn up in England that would give them the right to self-govern themselves in New England”( MayflowerHistory.com) . While the Compact could be seen as a basis for the Constitution, in reality it was not.

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.

When April arrived, the crew of the Mayflower raised its sails and set off for England, offering to take any Pilgrim who wished to return to England. Faced with the choice of the harsh New World, or the religious intolerance of the King, they all stayed.

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).

In 1620, the Pilgrim leaders, who came to America on the ship the Mayflower, wrote the Mayflower Compact. The original document was lost, however a copy of it that was written in William Bradford’s journal, was found. (“Pilgrim Hall Museum…”) The Pilgrims were originally going to land in Virginia, but their ship got off course due to a storm. Instead, the Pilgrims and crewmembers of the ship landed in Cape Cod. They later became known as the Plymouth Colony. (Foner, 66) The Pilgrim leaders wrote the Mayflower Compact when they landed in Cape Cod. The men aboard the Mayflower ship signed the Mayflower Compact, which was named for the ship. (“Pilgrim Hall Museum…”)

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.

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 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.

The New England region consist of the four colonies Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. The first colony found out of these four was Massachusetts. It was found in 1620. It was led by William Bradford. The second colony to be found was New Hampshire. It was found in 1629 by Captain John Mason. The third one was Connecticut. The Connecticut colony was founded in 1635 by Thomas Hooker. Last but not least is Rhode Island. It was found in 1636 by Roger Williams. The Pilgrims wanted to create an Anglican utopia. Other religions besides Puritanism was not allowed except for in Rhode Island. People who were not Puritans lost voting rights and were required to pay taxes to support the Congregational Church. The Mayflower Compact was created in 1620. The Mayflower Compact was meant to be a contract not just between the colonist, but between themselves and God. Part of the Mayflower compact says, “In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread

The Leiden Pilgrims: The Mayflower Compact On November 11, 1620, after a dangerous Atlantic voyage the Mayflower landed at Cape Cod far north of Boston; their intended destination. Due to unrest and conflict aboard the Mayflower a Compact was written by the Leiden Pilgrims during the voyage. These Pilgrims were known in England as Separatists and they wished to separate from the Church of England; the Separatists called the other men who joined their ship Strangers because they were of different faith. This first governing document recognizes the need to live peacefully together; therefore, they agreed that a corporate government or ‘civil body politic’ was for their collective benefit. In his book Of Plymouth Plantation William Bradford writes about the new settlement.