The pact they signed was an event of the utmost importance. This was the foundation of freedom based on law and order, and this tradition was constantly maintained. They drafted a form of government that was called the first true constitution of modern times. It was democratic, a recognition of freedom under law and order and the right to give every person the right to participate in government while promising to obey the law. But what`s really wonderful is that they had the strength and strength of character to stick to it and live from this day to today. Some governments are better than others. But any form of government is better than anarchy, and any attempt to demolish the government is an attempt to destroy civilization. [16] A list of 41 male passengers who signed the document was provided by Bradford`s nephew, Nathaniel Morton, in his 1669 New England Memorial. Thomas Prince first numbered the names as annals in his 1736 book A Chronological History of New England. [2] The original document was lost, making Morton the only source for the signatories.
He probably had access to the original document, but he could not know the actual order in which it was signed simply by inspecting it. Morton`s arrangement of names may not have been that of the original document, and the names on the original may not have been arranged in an orderly manner. Prince`s numbers are based solely on Morton, as he said himself. [8] 5. Proceed to a final vote. Decide whether the adoption of the Pact must be approved unanimously, by a two-thirds majority or by a simple majority. After the vote on the Mayflower II Compact, everyone who agrees should sign it. The original document has been lost,[8] but there are three 17th-century versions: printed in Mourt`s Relation (1622)[9],[10], reprinted in Purchas his Pilgrimes (1625); [11] handwritten by William Bradford in his diary De Plimoth Plantation (1646); [12] and printed by Bradford`s nephew, Nathaniel Morton, in the New England Memorial (1669). [8] The three versions differ slightly in wording and significantly in spelling, capitalization and punctuation. [10] William Bradford wrote the first part of mourt`s Relation, including his version of the Covenant, so he wrote two of the three versions. The wording of these two versions is quite similar to morton.
Bradford`s manuscript is kept in a safe at the Massachusetts State Library. [13] A now famous settler who signed the Mayflower Compact was Myles Standish. He was an English military officer hired by pilgrims to accompany them to the New World to serve as military leader for the colony. Standish played an important role in enforcing the new laws and protecting settlers from hostile Native Americans. Mayflower Compact, document, signed on the English ship Mayflower on 21 November [11 November, Old Style], 1620, before landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was the first governmental framework to be written and promulgated in what is now the United States of America. The pilgrims had arranged the trip. William Brewster and the other pilgrim guides had obtained the right to settle on land claimed by the Virginia Company near the mouth of the Hudson River. To raise funds for the trip, the pilgrims signed a contract with a group of London shareholders.
In return, the shareholders would share the profits of the planned colony. The pilgrims had gathered the “foreigners” to increase the chances of success of their company. The 3,000-mile journey across the Atlantic took more than two months. When they finally saw the land on 9 Nov. 1620, the captain of the Mayflower immediately knew they were at Cape Cod, far north of their destination. The captain steered the Mayflower south, but dangerous sandbanks and rough seas forced her to turn back. The Mayflower eventually dropped anchor in a harbor atop Cape Cod. Instead of spending more days at sea, the pilgrims decided to land. Almost immediately, an argument broke out. According to William Bradford (who later wrote an account of the pilgrims` experiences), several “strangers” gave “dissatisfied and mutinous speeches.” They apparently argued that since the Cape Cod area did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, its rules and regulations were no longer applicable. The troublemakers threatened to do what they wanted, “because no one had the power to command them,” William Bradford wrote. Three thousand kilometers from their homes, the settlers faced a real crisis even before going ashore.
The Mayflower Compact was not a constitution, but an adaptation of a Puritan Federation of Churches to a civil situation. .