Preview

Mayflower Compact

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
335 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mayflower Compact
THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT
The Pilgrims came to the New World seeking a refuge from Holland. They then obtained grants for land originally for land in northern part of Virginia and began their 3.000 mile journey toward the New World. They had landed on a coast of Massachusetts, which they had named Plymouth Plantation. The Mayflower Compact was drawn out by the Pilgrims in 1620. The Pilgrims knew the only way a new settlement would work is if they had a strong government. It was a "Civil Body Politick" (a temporary government) until one could be more permanently established.
"In the name of God, Amen," these are the very first words of the Mayflower Compact. You might ask why they felt they had to swear to God on this lawmaking document. It is simply because they came to the new World for religious freedom. This was their chance to build a town of the religious beliefs. God is first in the Pilgrims eyes. I believe that if God wasn't in this crucial document many would not agree with it.
The same applies today, on the one dollar bill it says, "In God we trust". Although we do not practice theocracy, reminisces of the church in a legislative document and self government stem from the Mayflower Compact.
In this document it gave everyone an equal say in the way things were done. It was a social contract and covenant. They would obey the commands of their leader set in the Mayflower Compact. William Bradford was elected Governor and supervised all of the pilgrims. He was elected thirty times between 1621-1656.
In conclusion, the Mayflower Compact integrated four key points. They were all equal in the sight of God. Secondly, it reflected deep loyalty to King James despite his behavior causing the pilgrims to come to the New World in exile. This document mirrors the Pilgrim's strong belief in God. Last but not least, equal laws that everyone in the colony agreed

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    When thinking about the name Mayflower it usually brings images of people in big hats and buckled shoes having Thanksgiving with some Indians; evoking memories of your history classes in elementary school. This isn’t the whole truth as Nathaniel Philbrick goes in deeper to what the relationship between the Pilgrims and Natives were really like. In the 1620s, English Puritans left England to the New World for the desire to seek religious freedom. They were a group of people unaware what will greet them across the vast, open ocean; taking their chances knowing the journey would prove both costly and frustrating. The English puritans arrived in Cape Cod after being blown north of their intended course, many people had gotten the plague due to close living conditions and low food supply on the ship.…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In 1620, a ship called the Mayflower arrived off Cape Cod on the Massachusetts coast. The Mayflower was blown north of its course, the ship landed at a site that had been named Plymouth. Aboard the Mayflower signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact. In it, they vowed to obey laws agreed upon for the good of the colony. The Mayflower Compact establish the idea of self-government and majority rule.…

    • 70 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the early 1600's, 102 people called pilgrims left England for America because of religious reasons. During the journey across the ocean they all singed the Mayflower Compact, which…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Mayflower Compact was the principle ideal of the Pilgrims and was also the government set type for them and future generations. The Compact was written on the ship named Mayflower, hence the name Mayflower Compact, and all of the people aboard were bound to it. Furthermore, it was only the second government system to be established by the Europeans in North America, with only Jamestown being established beforehand. As a result of this, the Mayflower Compact has a big significance in American History, because it established a government where religion was not a central factor in it.…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayflower Compact was also a document of self-governance, but was less religious. It instead focused on rules and laws to keep order. The Mayflower Compact was written when in 1620 the settlers aboard the Mayflower landed north of their original destination in Virginia. The Mayflower Compact was designed to provide a framework of government for Plymouth in the absence Virginian authority, but, however, was not a constitution. According to the Compact, the colonists believed that they would be most successful under their own self rule.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the time each ship set off from England, both the New England and Chesapeake colonies were bound to be different. In the Chesapeake region, where Jamestown was founded, the people had unrealistic expectations. They hoped that gold would be plentiful and easy to find, while also expecting the Native Americans to bow to their wishes. Contrary to their wishes, there was no gold to be found, and the Native Americans became less pleasant as the English became lazier. Believing that they were superior to the Native Americans, the English refused to grow crops, and expected the Native Americans to supply it all, creating rising tensions among them. On the opposite view, the settlers of the New England region had no such hopes. They set out from England to practice their religion more freely. John Winthrop had this idea of a “City on a hill” believing that the people of New England should show England itself how they should live, surrounded by their religion. In fact, upon arriving in New England, the puritans made their Mayflower Compact which allowed them to create their own government. Coming from this compact, the puritans also created the Covenant of Grace, which was to live scandal free and prove scriptural knowledge, and the Social Covenant, which was amongst the people, requiring a mutual watchfulness and no privacy. Unlike the Chesapeake colonies, the New England colonies also came with a family basis, while the…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mayflower Compact

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    |5. |Author (or creator) of Document: 41 passengers on the Mayflower (such as John Carver, William Brewster, John Alden, Isaac Allerton,|…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Pilgrims of Leiden, Holland were separatist (those who separated from The Church of England) who came to America in search of "a better life."…

    • 923 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At that time, Virginia was from Jamestown to the mouth of the Hudson River, so they traveled to present-day New York. There they hoped to live under the English government, but be able to have a free religion. Founded by a group of Separatists at first known as the Brownist Emigration and Anglicans, who later on became known as the Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony was one of the most successful colonies. Sadly, they did not have the money to start their own village. The pilgrims were desperate. They entered an agreement with financial investors. The company of investors would allow the colonists to sail to North America and give them much-needed supplies. To pay back, the colonists would have to work for the company and send resources back to England. All assets, including the land and the Pilgrims’ houses, would belong to the company until the end of seven years. After that, all of the assets would be divided among each of the investors and colonists. The colonists and investors had many quarrels amongst each other, but eventually the Pilgrims were able to leave Europe to go to…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Mayflower Compact did, however, embody the guiding and lasting principles of the Pilgrims as expressed by their pastor John Robinson: separation of Church and state in a "civil body politic" and the rule of "just and equal laws."…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jamestown Dbq

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages

    These people were the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims formed an agreement before setting foot in America called the “Mayflower Compact.” This accord became the foundation for the Pilgrims’ eventual success and impact on the future of the colonies. Like Jamestown, the colony of Plymouth was ravaged by death in the early months of its founding. Why? One difference between their plights, however, situations, though, was the time of year in which they arrived in the New World. that Tthe men of Jamestown had arrived in the summer and had to strugglebear with working in the the heat during their work, while the Pilgrims were tortured suffered the hardship ofby the frosts of winter. upon their arrival. The Pilgrims, despite their early misfortunes, managed to establish a colony that sought to give glory to God in their…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although New England and the Chesapeake region were both settled largely by the people of English origin, by 1700 the regions had evolved into two distinct societies. The reasons for this distinct development were mostly based on the type on people from England who chose to settle in the two areas, and on the manner in which the areas were settled. <br><br>New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure" community, where Christianity would be pursued in the most correct manner. Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans were very religious people. In both cases, the local government was controlled by the same people who controlled the church, and the bible was the basis for all laws and regulations. From the Article of Agreement, Springfield, Massachusetts it is clear that religion was the basis for general laws. It uses the phrase "being by God's providence engaged together to make a plantation", showing that everything was done in God's name. The Wage and Price Regulations in Connecticut is an example of common laws being justified by the bible. Also in this document the word "community " is emphasized, just as Winthrop emphasizes it saying: "we must be knit together in this work as one man". The immigrants to New England formed very family and religiously oriented communities. Looking at the emigrant lists of people bound for New England it is easy to observe that most people came in large families, and large families support the community atmosphere. There were many children among the emigrants, and those children were taught religion from their early childhood, and therefore grew up loyal to the church, and easily controllable by the same. Any deviants from the regime were silenced or…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It was important for the colonists to sign the Mayflower compact. The Mayflower Compact, according to White (2012), was ¨a legal contract in which they agreed to have fair laws to protect the general good.¨ It was essential because the pilgrims needed laws and rules to form a good government and colony. The leaders knew that people would be people, which means they would naturally rebel if not held to laws and the punishments that came with the laws. While many people of the colonies wanted to leave government behind, the leaders knew it was a necessary evil, and therefore made sure the compact was signed and fair.…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Searching for a new beginning and seeking religious freedom, early Pilgrims travelled to the New World (America) and fleeing religious oppression of the Old World (Europe). The Pilgrims believe “they were carrying out God’s Will and, as a result, they would become a shining example for the rest of humanity” . This new land free from persecution, subjection, tyranny, and oppression were thought to be a God sent example for all of humanity to follow. In America, the importance of separating church and state was the Pilgrims method of being cautious not to duplicate the problems that religion caused in Europe. This was apparent in the development of Article VI of the Constitution that stated “No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States”. There was also language to be found in the Bill of Rights that prohibits officially sanctioned U.S. religion—“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” . America was formed out of the migration of people coming from all over the world and was a country where participation in any religious group was strictly voluntary. With religion being an individual choice of each and ever America, it is not surprising “religion is held in high regard in the United States, …. More than half the U.S. population attends church regularly” (Martin & Rajnandini, 2012, 52). This is an individualistic right that allows Americans to put their own needs and interest ahead of the collective group. As Dr. Seymour Lipset writes, “Americans are…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Constitutional Timeline

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The second document was the Mayflower Compact (1620), and it was the “scaffold to the Plymouth colony. Being that this document was convenient where by the settlers would subordinate their rights to follow laws passed by the government to ensure protection and survival made it a unique document,” (Martin, 2012). The Mayflower Compact helped the founding fathers while they created the U.S. Constitution. The colonies had to find some way to break from the hold that King George III had on them because he was still in control of everything.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays