The Mayflower Compact was signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620. The document established a government for the new Plymouth Colony. When the Pilgrims landed far north of their intended destination in Virginia Colony, they realized that they would be outside the jurisdiction of any established government. To maintain order, the settlers signed the Mayflower Compact as a means to pledge allegiance to King James, legitimize their settlement outside their chartered land, and to establish a civil government with the authority to enact laws.
