The Mayflower Pact was an early and successful attempt at democracy and undoubtedly played a role in the future settlers who sought lasting independence from British rule and shaped the nation that eventually became the United States of America. On www.mayflowerfamilies.com`s looking glass website, you`ll find a variety of information about colonial life, the Mayflower Compact, Mayflower passengers, and Native Americans. The website also includes the Document Center to access information about various documents from New England and early America. 5. Proceed to a final vote. Deciding whether to approve the pact requires unanimous approval, a two-thirds majority or a simple majority. After the vote on the Mayflower II Compact, everyone who agrees should sign it. The goal of the Mayflower Society is to “bring together people who share this heritage and perpetuate the memory of our pilgrim ancestors.” The Society`s website contains information on history, bibliographies, museums and membership opportunities (www.mayflower.org). However, the importance of the Mayflower Compact would continue long after the Plymouth Colony itself was absorbed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 as an inspiration for early state constitutions such as Massachusetts and Connecticut. This would inspire thinkers now known as the Founding Fathers to question the legitimacy of England`s control over the original 13 North American colonies, which led to the American Revolution (1775-1783 AD), and their ideals are reflected in the Declaration of Independence of 1776 CE.
Later, after the colonies gained independence from England, the Mayflower Compact would influence the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and thus still exert the same influence in modern times as it did 400 years ago, when people of different faiths and backgrounds agreed to work together toward a larger vision that anyone could achieve on their own. Jacoby, Jeff. “How the Mayflower Pact sowed the seeds of American democracy.” Boston Globe, November 22, 2017. The treaty was carefully worded in such a way that it was clear that none of the settlers claimed the authority to legislate – as this was the king`s only right – and although the separatists had many complaints against James I, it is mentioned as their leader and them as his loyal subjects in the front line and mentioned again in the last one. The purpose of the pact is also specified by the fact that it is written to ensure the establishment and preservation of a colony to be established for the “promotion of the Christian faith and the honor of our king and our country,” and not in the personal interest of one of the undersigned. Pilgrims had initially hoped to reach America by two ships in early October, but delays and complications meant they could only use one, the Mayflower. Their intended destination was the colony of Virginia, with the trip funded by the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London. However, storms forced them to anchor on the hook of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, as it was not wise to proceed with scarce supplies.
This inspired some of the non-Puritan passengers (whom the Puritans called “strangers”) to proclaim that they would “use their own freedom; for no one had the power to command them,” since they would not settle in the agreed Virginia territory. [5] To avoid this, the pilgrims decided to establish their own government, while reaffirming their loyalty to the English Crown. Thus, the Mayflower Compact was based on both a majority model and the loyalty of the colonists to the king. It was essentially a social contract in which settlers agreed to follow the rules and regulations of the community for reasons of order and survival. [6] In the early 17th century, a group of people called “separatists” gathered in Scrooby, England. The separatists rejected the ecclesiastical faith dictated by the English rulers. Although King James was a Protestant, he was intolerant of various religious views. The separatists believed that the Church of England had not completed the work of the Reformation and . . .