The Mayflower Compact was created and signed by the Pilgrims aboard the ship Mayflower in 1620. It was a legal agreement among the settlers that established guidelines for self-governance in the new colony. The Pilgrims created the compact because they had landed outside the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, which had granted them their charter, and they needed a document to establish order and authority among themselves. The compact was a way for the Pilgrims to establish a government based on the consent of the governed, ensuring that decisions would be made collectively and in the best interests of the community.
The Mayflower Compact was created and signed by the passengers of the Mayflower ship on November 21, 1620. It served as a governing document for the Plymouth Colony, which was the first permanent English settlement in New England. The primary purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to establish a legal and social framework for the colonists to live by, as they arrived in an area outside of the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, their intended destination. The document aimed to maintain order and ensure the survival of the group by creating a system of self-government and promoting the general welfare of the colony.
