
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers aboard the Mayflower, who travelled to the New World in 1620. The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony and was signed by 41 of the ship's 101 passengers. The Compact was created to ensure a functioning social structure would prevail, and it established that the colonists would remain loyal subjects to King James, despite their need for self-governance. The Mayflower Compact was an early, successful attempt at democracy and played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of signing | 21 November 1620 (OS: 11 November 1620) |
| Signatories | 41 of the ship's 101/102 passengers |
| Purpose | To establish a temporary set of rules for self-governance |
| Pledges | Loyalty to the King, allegiance to the Crown of England, and submission to the laws and regulations that would be established for the "general good of the colony" |
| Inspiration | The need to maintain order and prevent rebellion while waiting for a new patent to settle in Massachusetts |
| Result | The first governing document of Plymouth Colony and an early attempt at democracy |
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What You'll Learn
- The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance
- It was the first document to establish self-government in the New World
- The Compact created a common bond among the 102 pilgrims at Plymouth
- It was based on a majoritarian model and settlers' allegiance to the king
- The Mayflower Compact was an early, successful attempt at democracy

The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance
The Mayflower set sail from England in July 1620, intending to reach the Colony of Virginia. However, storms and leaks forced the ship to turn back twice, and it finally embarked on its journey on September 6, 1620. The Mayflower encountered treacherous shoals and storms, which drove it off course, and it landed in Massachusetts near Cape Cod, outside of Virginia's jurisdiction.
This change of course created a legally uncertain situation, as the passengers were no longer within the jurisdiction of the charter granted by the Virginia Company. This led to friction between the English Separatists (later known as Pilgrims) and the other travellers, with some threatening to leave the group and settle on their own. To prevent this, the Pilgrims established their own government, affirming their allegiance to the Crown of England.
Thus, the Mayflower Compact was created as a set of rules for self-governance. It was a social contract in which the settlers consented to follow the community's rules and regulations for the sake of order and survival. The compact was signed by nearly all of the Mayflower's adult male passengers (41 out of a total of 101 or 102 passengers) on November 11, 1620, while the ship was anchored at Provincetown Harbour.
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled "Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth", was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It was a brief document of about 200 words, pledging the signers into a "civil body politic" for the purpose of forming a government and abiding by the laws and regulations established for the "general good of the colony." The compact created a common bond among the pilgrims and played a role in shaping the future of the nation that became the United States of America.
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It was the first document to establish self-government in the New World
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled "Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth", was the first document to establish self-government in the New World. It was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers who travelled on the Mayflower to the New World. The Mayflower Compact was important because it was the first successful attempt at democracy in the New World and played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule.
The Mayflower Compact was created in response to a legally uncertain situation that arose when the Mayflower landed outside of the Virginia Company's territory. This inspired some of the non-Puritan passengers (referred to as "Strangers") to proclaim that they would use their own liberty since they were not in the agreed-upon Virginia territory. To prevent this, the Pilgrims determined to establish their own government while still affirming their allegiance to the Crown of England.
The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 of the ship's 101 or 102 passengers on November 11, 1620, while the ship was anchored in Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of Cape Cod. It was a brief document of about 200 words that established the colonists' loyalty to King James and their intent to create and enact "laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices" for the good of the colony, and to abide by those laws.
The Mayflower Compact created a common bond among the pilgrims at Plymouth and their desire to worship as they wished, which is embodied in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It remained active until 1691 when the Plymouth Colony became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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The Compact created a common bond among the 102 pilgrims at Plymouth
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the 102 English settlers who travelled on the Mayflower to the New World in 1620. The Mayflower set sail from England in July 1620, but due to treacherous shoals and storms, the ship was forced off course and landed in Massachusetts instead of northern Virginia.
The Compact was created to ensure a functioning social structure and to prevent rebellion and dissent among the settlers. The pilgrims and other settlers included Puritans, adventurers, tradesmen, merchants, craftsmen, indentured servants, and orphaned children. The Puritans and other Protestant Separatists were dissatisfied with the Church of England and sought religious freedom.
The Mayflower Compact created a common bond among the 102 pilgrims at Plymouth by establishing a set of laws and regulations that all the settlers agreed to abide by for the "general good of the colony". The compact was signed by nearly all of the Mayflower's adult male passengers (41 out of a total of 102 passengers) while the ship was anchored at Provincetown Harbour. It was a pledge of loyalty to King James I of England and a promise to create and abide by laws, ordinances, acts, and constitutions for the good of the colony.
The Mayflower Compact was an early, successful attempt at democracy and played a role in shaping the future of the United States of America. It was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony and remained active until 1691 when the colony became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony. The compact created a sense of unity and cooperation among the settlers, who recognised the need for laws and order to ensure the survival and success of their new colony.
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It was based on a majoritarian model and settlers' allegiance to the king
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers who travelled to the New World on the Mayflower. The Mayflower set sail from England in July 1620, intending to lay anchor in northern Virginia. However, treacherous shoals and storms drove the ship off course, and the settlers landed in Massachusetts instead, near Cape Cod, outside of Virginia's jurisdiction.
This change of course created a legally uncertain situation, and some of the non-Puritan passengers (referred to as "Strangers") proclaimed that they would use their own liberty as they were no longer bound by the Virginia Company contract. To prevent this, the Pilgrims established their own government, drafting the Mayflower Compact, which was signed by 41 of the ship's 101 passengers. The Compact was based on a majoritarian model and the settlers' allegiance to the king. It was a social contract in which the settlers consented to follow the community's rules and regulations for the sake of order and survival.
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled "Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth", was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the Mayflower, including Separatist Puritans, adventurers, and tradesmen. The agreement contained a pledge of loyalty to the King, despite the Puritans' dissatisfaction with the state of the Church of England and the limited extent of the English Reformation.
The Compact created a common bond among the 102 pilgrims at Plymouth, and their desire to worship as they wished is embodied in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It was an early, successful attempt at democracy and played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule. The Compact established that the colonists would create and enact "laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices" for the good of the colony and abide by those laws. It was a temporary set of laws to rule themselves per the majority agreement.
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The Mayflower Compact was an early, successful attempt at democracy
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers aboard the Mayflower, who travelled to the New World in 1620. The Mayflower Compact was important because it was the first document to establish self-government in the New World and played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule.
The Mayflower Compact was signed by the male passengers of the Mayflower on November 11, 1620, while the ship was anchored at Provincetown Harbour. Of the 102 passengers on the ship, 41 were Pilgrims, or religious separatists seeking freedom from the Church of England. The remaining passengers included merchants, craftsmen, indentured servants, and orphaned children, whom the Pilgrims referred to as "Strangers".
The Mayflower Compact was created to establish a functioning social structure and ensure order among the settlers. The compact created a common bond among the settlers and established that they would remain loyal subjects to King James, despite their need for self-governance. The compact also stated that the colonists would create and enact "laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices" for the good of the colony and abide by those laws.
The Mayflower Compact was an early and successful attempt at democracy, as it established a representative government and allowed the settlers to rule themselves according to the majority agreement. The compact remained active until 1691 when the Plymouth Colony became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
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Frequently asked questions
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers aboard the Mayflower, who were travelling to the New World.
The Mayflower Compact was created because the Mayflower landed outside of the Virginia Company territory, which meant that the settlers were no longer bound to the company's charter. This created a legally uncertain situation, and the Compact was created to ensure a functioning social structure would prevail.
The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 of the ship's 101 or 102 passengers. The signatories consisted of Puritan Separatists, adventurers, and tradesmen.
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It was also an early, successful attempt at democracy and played a role in future colonists seeking permanent independence from British rule.
The Mayflower Compact established that the colonists would remain loyal subjects to King James, despite their need for self-governance. It also provided that the colonists would create and enact "laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices" for the good of the colony, and abide by those laws.











































