Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Founding of Plymouth Colony and the creation of the Mayflower Compact

“In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith…” [3] were the first words of the Mayflower Compact written in November of 1620. The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony and was drafted by religious separatists known as the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower [5].

In September of 1620, 150 settlers including 41 pilgrims and the rest “strangers” boarded the Mayflower and embarked from England to Virginia seeking the freedom to practice Christianity according to their own determination and not the will of the English Church [6].  The voyage lasted more than two months and when they finally sighted land, the captain knew they were far north of their destination. It was originally bound for the mouth of the Hudson River [6], but they were blown off course, and landed not in Virginia, but hundreds of miles to the north, what is now Provincetown Harbor, near Cape Cod. (pg. 64) [2]. 

The fathers feared they would be unable to control the actions of the strangers, (including the merchants, craftsmen, skilled workers and indentured servants) and since there was no government in place, some felt they had no legal obligation to remain within the colony and supply their labor [3]. Their solution to the problem of the lack of authority was to create it themselves.

The Mayflower Compact was drawn up with fair and equal laws, for the general good of the settlement and with the will of the majority [4]. The document was drafted aboard the ship and was signed by 41 of the adult males. The agreement first acknowledged the colonists’ loyalty to King James I, and then bound them in a “civil body politic” for the purpose of forming just laws for the entire community. The Mayflower Compact established a social contract within the community and formed a government based upon the consent of the governed [1]. The Compact established that the colony, mostly persecuted Separatists, were to be free of English law [4]. The colonists in no way intended to declare their independence from England [5].



The “Mayflower Compact” as written by Mayflower passenger William Bradford into his manuscript History of Plymouth Plantation about 1630. Bradford’s hand written manuscript is kept in a special vault at the State Library of Massachusetts [6].



Although the original Mayflower Compact has never been found and is assumed destroyed, the Compact was first published in 1622 and a copy written by William Bradford was published in his history of Plymouth Plantation [3]. However, neither version gave the names of the signers. Nathaniel Morton, the nephew of William Bradford was the first to publish the names in his New England Memorial in 1669 [3]. The Mayflower Compact continued to serve as the basis of government until the small colony was merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691 [1].

The Mayflower compact is often referred to as the foundation and forerunner of of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Although the compact was written out of necessity, it set a historic precedent toward the creation of a new democratic nation and influenced the establishment of American Republican goverment.  I think it is extremely important to acknowledge the significance of the Mayflower Compact and the how those few written words conveyed the idea of self-government for the first time in the New World [5]. I really enjoyed researching the history of the Mayflower Compact and the voyage of the pilgrams. It was an important and significant time in history that I don't think we realize I such a lasting impression on our nation today.



Resources

1.         “Colonial America, 1620” Mayflower Compact. USHistory.com Web.

2.         Foner, Eric. Give me liberty! An American history. 2nd Seagull ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print

3.         “Mayflower Compact (1620)” Mayflower History Web. 2011.

4.         “Mayflower Compact – The Common Anchor” All About History Web. 2011

5.         “Mayflower Compact – New World Encyclopedia” New World Encyclopedia. Web. 17 Oct. 2008. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/mayflower_compact

6.         “Mayflower Compact – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Compact 

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