The Mayflower Compact was ______________.
Select one:
A. A document establishing the Pilgrims' self-governing community.
B. A contract for passengers sailing on the Mayflower.
C. An agreement of the Pilgrims not to return to England.
D. A land treaty made by the Pilgrims with the Wampanoag Nation.
Answer (2)
The Mayflower Compact was a significant document in American history, signed by forty-one Pilgrim men aboard the Mayflower in 1620. This document served as the first American governing document, well ahead of the U.S. Constitution, and was constructed because the Pilgrims landed outside of the Virginia Company's territory without an official charter. As they lacked legal basis to establish a government, the signatories agreed to create and obey a government formed by social contract for their new settlement in New England. The Mayflower Compact was not just a religious document but also carried substantial political implications. It underscored the Pilgrims' desire to build a community for 'the glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country' while promoting ideas of self-governance, direct democracy, and rule reflecting the common will. The compact served as the foundation of their social and legal order until Plymouth merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692.
The Mayflower Compact was a document establishing a self-governing community for the Pilgrims in 1620. It was created because the Pilgrims landed outside of their original jurisdiction and needed a framework for governance. This compact emphasized self-rule and order in their new settlement.
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