nov 11, 1620 - Mayflower Compact

Description:

Code of civil laws signed on board by 41 settlers (Pilgrim Fathers) signed aboard ship (the Mayflower) consisting of separatist Puritan, adventurers and tradesmen. The Pilgrims had originally hoped to reach America in early October using two ships, but delays and complications meant they could use only one, the Mayflower. Their intended destination had been the Colony of Virginia, with the journey financed by the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London. Storms forced them to anchor at the hook of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, however, as it was unwise to continue with provisions running short. This inspired some of the non-Puritan passengers (whom the Puritans referred to as 'Strangers') to proclaim that they "would use their own liberty; for none had power to command them" since they would not be settling 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 Puritans were fleeing from religious persecution by King James I of England.
The Mayflower Compact was based simultaneously upon a majoritarian model and the settlers' allegiance to the king. A social contract in which settlers consented to follow the community's ryles and regulations for the sake of order and survival.

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