Mayflower Compact

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was drafted by the Pilgrims who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower, seeking religious freedom. It was signed on November 21, 1620 (N.S.) in what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod. The Pilgrims used the Julian Calendar which, at that time, was ten days behind the Gregorian Calendar, signing the covenant "ye .11. of November" (literal). Having settled at Plymouth (thus named by Captain John Smith earlier), many of the aboard pilgrims realised that they were in land uncharted by the London Company. For this reason the Mayflower Compact was passed, based upon a majoritarian model and to proclaim the settlers' allegiance to the king. Many of the passengers knew that earlier settlements in the New World had failed due to a lack of government, and the Mayflower Compact was in essence a social contract in which the settlers consented to follow the rules and regulations of the government for the sake of survival. The government, in return, would derive its power from the consent of the governed.

The compact is often referred to as the foundation of the Constitution of the United States<ref name="adams1802">Adams, John Quincy (1802). Manis, Jim: John Quincy Adams' Orations (PDF), Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved on 2006-09-17.</ref>, in a figurative, not literal, way.

As a side note, the 'dread soveraigne' referred to in the document used the archaic definition of dread, meaning awe and reverence. They were implying awe and reverence for the King and not fear.

[edit] Text of the Mayflower Compact

The original document was lost, but the transcriptions in Mourt's Relation and William Bradford's journal Of Plymouth Plantation are in agreement and accepted as accurate. The Bradford transcription follows:

{{{1}}}

Image:Mayflower Compact Bradford.jpg The list of 41 male passengers who signed was supplied by Bradford's nephew Nathaniel Morton in his 1669 New England's Memorial. There are no surviving first-hand accounts of this information. <ref name="morton1">Morton, Nathaniel (1669). “2”, Rhys, Ernest: New England’s Memorial.</ref>