THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT

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THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT

• Why did the Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact?
• How did the Mayflower Compact influence American
  government?

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Wrong Destination

• Plymouth was out of the jurisdiction of the
  Virginia Company.
• Not all of the people aboard the Mayflower were
  Pilgrims. Some were hired hands or indentured
  servants, they were referred to as strangers.
• According to Bradford, the strangers threatened
  to rebel because no one had power to command them!

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The Compact

• Back in England, authority to govern came from
  the King, but here it would come from the people
  themselves.
• The Compact was signed by the adult male
  colonists, including 2 indentured servants.

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What it contained

• Recognized the authority of God and the King.
• Expressed the idea of self-government for the
  first time in the New World.

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What it did NOT contain

• The colonists had no intention of declaring
  independence from the King.

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Whats next

• Immediately elected John Carver as governor. He
  died less than a year later.
• William Bradford replaced him and was re-elected
  30 times between 1621 and 1656.
• Each year the Civil Body Politic of all adult
  males assembled to elect the governor.
• As the colony grows, deputies are sent to
  represent each town at the General Court
  sessions.beginnings of representative government
  too.