by Paula Love

Created on: November 03, 2009

When the Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower in 1620, they were not alone on their journey. In fact, fewer than forty of the ship's 102 passengers were Separatists (sometimes referred to as Saints) seeking religious freedom. There were thirty men who served as the ship's crew, and the rest were known to the Separatists as Strangers.

The majority of the Strangers were not looking to split from the Church of England, but were agriculturalists and tradesmen seeking a new life in the New World. The three distinctly different groups met almost immediately with dissension. The Saints and Strangers found the rough language of the ship's crew to be offensive. The Strangers were worried by the constant praying of the Saints, believing they were sinning against King James and God Himself. The Saints set about attempting to convert as many people as possible to their beliefs.

After sixty-six days enduring violent storms and deplorable living conditions at sea, the ship arrived at Cape Cod having lost only two passengers. The Saints declared that it was only because of their unwavering faith that they had arrived safely. However they had meant to land in Virginia, not New England, and they now found themselves lacking government under any formal European rule.

It was decided amongst the passengers that they needed a governing decree before departing the Mayflower. Weary from their travels and anxious to set shore, the leaders of the groups met and drew up the Mayflower Compact to ensure cooperation among, and fair treatment for, all men. (Women at the time still held no legal rights.)

The Mayflower Compact began by declaring the signers as loyal subjects of King James who had traveled for the glory of God to create the first English colony in Northern Virginia (New England). They stated their intent to "combine ourselves together into a civil body politic", or create a government, in which leaders are elected and laws are created for the best interests of the colony as a whole. They finished by promising to follow and respect the government created by the document. Forty-one men signed the Mayflower Compact, including now legendary names such as Miles Standish, John Alden, William Bradford, Edward Winslow, Francis Cooke, and John Carver, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony, elected by the colonists themselves.

The Mayflower Compact is a short document, but one that set two important precedents in American government. It was with this document that the practice of direct election of leaders by the citizens was born. Additionally, the "civil body politic" addressed the need for a government founded upon a civil covenant rather than a spiritual one. A government not based in religion was necessary in order to maintain peace between the differing religious factions of the Saints and the Strangers, and to ensure the religious freedom that the Pilgrims had desperately sought for so many years.

It is obvious to see the direct influence of the Mayflower Compact on today's United States government. The Mayflower Compact stands in historical importance with such documents as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

Learn more about this author, Paula Love.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.