Government
Kylie Goad 2B
The Mayflower Compact
With the Mayflower Compact in place, freemen, in the Plymouth Colony, would meet several times a year and elect a governer and his assistants, and pass laws for the colony. When the freemen voted, they voted directly in assembly or through representatives. This self-government based on majority rule was the basic foundation established by the Mayflower Compact.
The Signing
The Mayflower
Reading of the Mayflower
Pilgrim leader William Bradford reading the Mayflower Compact onboard the Mayflower in 1620.
Impact on the U.S. government
Some similarities of the Mayflower Compact can also be seen today. For example, we still self govern ourselves today due to the Mayflower Compact establishing our democratic roots. Another aspect, that still carries on from the Mayflower Compact into today's world, is the principle of equality practiced in the U.S: everyone is created equal.
Citations
"An illustration of the Mayflower during its journey to North America. Because of stormy weather, the..."Colonial America Reference Library. Ed. Peggy Saari and Julie L. Carnagie. Vol. 1: Almanac: Volume 1. Detroit: UXL, 2000. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Miller, Laura M. "The Mayflower Compact (11 November 1620)." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 9. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 86. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Palmer, Aaron J. "Mayflower Compact." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. 3rd ed. Vol. 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 276. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Pilgrim leader William Bradford reading the Mayflower Compact onboard the Mayflower in 1620." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannen, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 5. Detroit: UXL, 2009. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
"Pilgrims signing the Mayflower Compact, an agreement to provide just and equal laws in their..." Crime and Punishment in America Reference Library. Ed. Richard C. Hanes, et al. Vol. 1: Almanac, Volume 1. Detroit: UXL, 2005. U.S. History in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2015.