How Did The Mayflower Compact

Words: 495

Pages: 2

Open Document

The Mayflower Compact
By: Edward Orde
The pilgrims wrote the Mayflower Compact after landing there ship way off course at Cape Cod, instead of Virginia. Instead of becoming rebels, and disconnecting from their home country they chose instead to write and sign this document which stated they were still under the Kings rule, but reserved the right to create other laws only for the good of the colony with agreement from all colonists. This document was very significant for the colonists at the time. The 3,000-mile voyage across the Atlantic had lasted more than two months. They finally sighted land on November 9, 1620 far north of their destination. The captain turned the Mayflower south, but dangerous sand bars and heavy seas forced them to turn …show more content…
The Mayflower finally stopped in a harbor at the tip of Cape Cod. Rather than risking it with more days at sea, the Pilgrims decided to land. Almost immediately, an argument broke out. Several non pilgrims argued that, since the Cape Cod area was outside the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, its rules and regulations no longer applied. They threatened to do whatever they wanted "for none had power to command them,". Three thousand miles from home, a real problem faced the colonists even before they stepped ashore.

Over 100 people, cut off from any government, with a rebellion brewing. If they didn't work as a group, they could all die in the wilderness. The Pilgrim leaders realized that they needed a temporary government authority. Back home, such authority came from the king. Isolated in America, it could only come from the people themselves. Aboard the Mayflower they made a written agreement among themselves. The Mayflower Compact was signed by nearly all the adult male

How Did The Mayflower Compact

Mayflower Compact The Mayflower Compact is a very old, very well known document, and the first of America's governing documents. Male heads of each family, Puritan and Stranger, helped draft it. It was signed by forty-one colonists total, such as John Carver, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, William Brewster, Myles Standish, John Howland, Stephen Hopkins, John Billington, and John Allerton. Every pilgrim signed the document, except for one freeman, three hired men, and two servants. It is presumed…

Words 569 - Pages 3

The Role Of Government In Colonial America

Many of the features of government in Colonial America were built on and strengthened and still remain a part of the United States government today. Some of these features are the House of Burgesses, the Mayflower Compact, the Right to Vote, and the General Assembly. The House of Burgesses marked the beginning of a long line of representative government in Colonial America.The House of Burgesses was an extremely important feature of the government in Colonial America. It was the first representative…

Words 653 - Pages 3

Constitutional Influences Essay example

declares liberties to protect citizens against undue legal process, detention and protect human rights. Mayflower Compact Mayflower Compact of 1620 was drawn up as settlers sailed from Plymouth England to North America. These settlers knew that earlier settlers demised because of lack of government. They then agreed on a set of laws ( the first documented ) that were equal and fair. The Mayflower Compact set precedent and influenced the US Constitution as it expressed equal and just laws to form a democratic…

Words 412 - Pages 2

American Pageant Reading Guide

powerful and human are evil and corrupted by sin. He also believed that God has already chosen who will go to heaven. These people are known as the "elect." 5. Why did King Henry VIII break away from the Catholic Church in the 1500’s? King Henry VIII wanted to break away from the Catholic Church because he wanted to divorce his wife. 6. Why did King James I of England feel threatened by religious separatists? King James I felt threatened by religious separatists because he was frightened by the fact that…

Words 657 - Pages 3

Captivity Narrative: The Scrooby Separatist

Scrooby Separatists: The Scrooby Separatists were a congregation from South Yorkshire England in the early 1600s. They emigrated to the Netherlands in search of religious freedom in 1608. They are significant to the American experience because they are the precursor to the Pilgrims, who would also eventually emigrate out of England and to the new world. Oliver Cromwell: Oliver Cromwell was an English officer and proclaimed and convince Puritan. He served in England as a paramilitary leader in…

Words 1727 - Pages 7

Mayflower Compact

It can be acknowledged that the creation of the United States government began with the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact had been signed by over one hundred people out of necessity and was the start of a new democratic nation with self-government. When the Mayflower passengers harbored on Cape Cod, the passengers came together to write a compact that would govern the way they lived. The Mayflower Compact had all adult males, excluding indentured servants, come together to elect a governor…

Words 1651 - Pages 7

Why Did Jamestown Come To Seek Religious Freedom?

reason is that the colonists came to seek religious freedom. In England, they did not have much religious freedom because England wanted everyone to follow the same religion, the Church of England. They wanted to get away from King James so they could have religious freedom and taxation. In some cases they just wanted a better…

Words 518 - Pages 3

The Separatists: Journey To The New World

They did not feel it was right to be pushed to conform to the Church of England and the violated biblical principles that it represented. They desired freedom to worship freely based on what they perceived to be correct, through the teachings of the Bible. They possessed a strong desire to teach and raise their children with these Biblical views. In 1608, they left England and went to Holland. While in Holland, they obtained freedom to worship how they desired and not suffer…

Words 888 - Pages 4

Plymouth Colony Research Paper

natives. Plymouth, by the winter of 1623, was strongly united by faith, and the community worked together as a whole; including the strangers. One of the communities that grew out of Plymouth was the Wessagussett. Wessagussett did not have the unity or belief that Plymouth did. Myles Standish was the Captain of the Plymouth Plantation military and defense. Massasoit had informed the Myles that the Massachusetts Indians were planning an attack on Plymouth and Wessagussett. Myles chose to raid the Massachusetts…

Words 2360 - Pages 10

Democracy In Colonial America

their own decisions. Today democracy has a different meaning than it did in Colonial America and the American Revolution. There were two forms of democracy in Colonial America. The first was an elected House of Burgesses in Virginia. But unlike today, the king would choose the governor and the governor had the power to shut down the House of Burgesses. The second form of democracy from Colonial America was the Mayflower compact, which was written by separatist Congregationalists.…

Words 296 - Pages 2