Question

What does the Mayflower Compact say about equality, and how might this view have influenced the system of government in the United States?

Answer 1

The Mayflower Compact was the first self-governing agreement to be created and implemented in America on September 16, 1620. The cause was the British ship Mayflower, who arrived from Plymouth, England with 102 passengers. Passengers were called Pilgrims.

In the opening part of the Compact, the "Pilgrims" and "Strangers" are loyal to King James. The Compact connects the signatories to the "Civil Body Politics", for the purpose of adopting equal and uniform laws for everyone, as well as for the common good of colonies. The importance of the Mayflower Compact was that it was the first democratic government established in colonies, according to which the colonists were willing to make their own laws, and committed themselves to follow them.