Mayflower Compact
Man Sharpening A Quill [detail]
by Rembrandt (1632)
" In these hard & difficulte beginings they found some discontents & murmurings arise amongst some, and mutinous speeches & carriags in other... "
–William Bradford
Trouble arose on the Mayflower as the passengers prepared to step onto American land. Some of the Strangers argued that since they were about to settle outside the jurisdiction of King James's royal patent, they were no longer obligated to settle with the Saints and honor their strict seven-year labor contracts. Indeed, there would be no laws in place to ensure they did.
The Strangers wanted to strike out on their own, yet others realized they might all die in the wilderness if the group broke apart and scattered. The Saints scrambled to stop the brewing rebellion. Rather than struggle ashore with no laws, they proposed a revolutionary compromise: they would govern themselves until they could secure a royal charter.
They wrote an agreement known as the Mayflower Compact, which the forty-one males signed. Simply put, the Saints and Strangers agreed to create laws by a majority vote and to enforce and obey those laws for the common good. After signing, the men democratically elected their first governor. They intended for this temporary government to serve and protect them until King James issued a formal charter.
Despite being drafted in haste and desperation, the Mayflower Compact established a monumental American precedent. Rather than a system binding subjects to a monarch, it introduced self-governance by the people. This foundational agreement eventually helped inspire both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
ORIGINAL TEXT
In ye name of God Amen· We whose names are underwriten, the loyall subjects of our dread soveraigne Lord King James by ye grace of God, of great Britaine, franc, & Ireland king, defender of ye faith, &c
Haveing undertaken, for ye glorie of God, and advancemente of ye Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant ye first colony in ye Northerne parts of Virginia· Doe by these presents solemnly & mutualy in ye presence of God, and one of another; covenant, & combine our selves togeather into a civill body politick; for our better ordering, & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof to enacte, constitute, and frame such just & equall Lawes, ordinances, Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meete and convenient for ye generall good of ye Colonie: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
In witnes wherof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cap= Codd ye ·11· of November, in ye year of ye raigne of ye soveraigne Lord King James of England, France, & Ireland ye eighteenth and of Scotland ye fifty fourth. Ano: Dom ·1620·
MODERN TEXT
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, etc.:
Having undertaken, for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith and honor 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 politic for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to 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 hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11th of November in the year of the reign of the sovereign Lord King James of England, France, and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. AD 1620.
Mayflower Compact
by N. C. Wyeth, 1938
DID YOU KNOW?
The word "Ye" (as in Ye Olde Shoppe) was a printing shorthand for the word "the." English printers used the letter y as a substitute for the obsolete Old English letter þ (thorn), which made a th sound but was missing from European-made printing presses.
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Standardized English spelling rules did not exist in the 17th century. Writers spelled words and names phonetically, with great variation.
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The original Mayflower Compact was lost, but Governor William Bradford preserved the text by writing it down in his journal.
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The phrase "Ano Dom" is short for Anno Domini, A.D., which is Latin for "in the year of our Lord."
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The official title of King James listed in the Compact states he had ruled England and Ireland for 18 years and Scotland for 54 years. The document also claims him as King of France—a ceremonial title English monarchs claimed through the 14th-century bloodline of Queen Isabella.
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Immediately after signing, the men elected John Carver as their first governor. He had negotiated the land charter and financial backing for the Separatists.
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Plymouth never received an official charter from the King. The Mayflower Compact remained in effect until Plymouth merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.
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