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November 11, 1620 (O.S.), 41 men aboard the Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact, the first instrument of self-government in North America.
Before 1620 numerous colonies had been established on the Atlantic seaboard under royal charters of various European powers. They were ruled by officials appointed by the kings of their home countries. These included the English colony at Jamestown in the Colony of Virginia. In 1620, a group of 102 Separatist Puritans (Pilgrims) and non-Pilgrims (called Strangers) set sail for Jamestown in search of religious freedom. But storms blew them off course, and they landed on Cape Cod on November 9.
Since the Mayflower passengers did not land at their intended destination, the Strangers declared that they were not under any royal government and could do as they wished. One of the leaders of the Strangers, Stephen Hopkins, had tried this gambit years before. In 1609 he was a passenger aboard the Sea Venture. It was shipwrecked on the then-uninhabited Bermuda while sailing for Jamestown. At that time he argued that the shipwrecked passengers were not under royal rule since they had not arrived in Virginia. Unfortunately for him, the new royal governor was also aboard the shipwrecked Sea Venture and did not take kindly to this idea. He had Hopkins tried and sentenced to death for mutiny, although he was pardoned at the last minute. The stranded passengers eventually built boats and made their way to Jamestown. Hopkins lived at Jamestown until 1614, when he returned to England. He joined the Pilgrims' voyage in 1620 on the Mayflower as an expert on life in America.
When Hopkins and the other Strangers asserted their freedom from any rule aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrim leaders decided to head this off by forming their own colony with the Mayflower Compact. In a document only 195 words long, they declared their loyalty to King James I and agreed to enact and obey "just and equal Laws" for the governance of the colony. Importantly it invoked "the Presence of God" in organizing their colony. In addition to ensuring law and order in the new colony, the Compact was intended to formalize their land ownership since the colonists had no royal patent to settle in that area.
Although the Mayflower Compact was a simple, brief document, it demonstrated that in the New World Englishmen could form their own government and successfully rule themselves under God. The Compact remained the governing document of Plymouth Colony for seven decades, until Plymouth merged into the larger Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. It was a forerunner of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Here is the text of the Mayflower Compact:
IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. IN WITNESS whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape-Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini; 1620.
[A Personal Note: I have not written any posts to celebrate America250 for a few months because I've been so busy taking care of my elderly parents and am doing the budget for a new client. I hope to continue to write some posts from time to time, but I probably cannot resume frequent posts for now.]
Discussion (13)
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Thanks for the post, it's been an amazing Ricochet series so far. And speaking for elderly parents everywhere, thanks for taking care! That's an excellent reason for a series interruption.
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One more observation - the two incidents involving Stephen Hopkins turned out very differently, In the first, he was sentenced to death, although the Virginia governor later pardoned him. In the second, the Pilgrim leaders incorporated the Strangers into the body politic by promising just and equal laws, and Hopkins signed the Compact. Hopkins became a valued assistant to Governor Bradford. The Pilgrims and the Strangers turned a serious conflict into a shining example of compromise and self-government.
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Amen.
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It sounds as if the landing at Plymouth might have been accidentally-on-purpose. If that was not the intent of the Pilgrims, it was surely the providence of God.
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I very much appreciate your historical posts. It's like a mini-civics and American history portfolio.
Look forward to when you can write again. I understand the issues of dealing with older family, so sympathies there.
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