What do you think of the compact? Does it suggest the hopefulness and dissuade any perceived dissent? Here it is in its entirety:
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 Officers, 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.
The Compact is in essence contrary to the concepts of the U.S. Constitution which followed it decades later. Though fleeing England to escape the tyranny of church/state domination, the formers of the Compact basically espoused the same idea of church /state union the fougt against in the Old World. Of course the history of the early pilgrims is evidence of that fact. Persons were persecuted, deprived of their livelyhood and even murdered for not subscribing to the laws of the church dominated civil establishment.
ReplyDeleteAubrey Duncan
I believe they wanted a new beginning. They wanted to be in charge of their own colony and have new rules. But actually they had the ideas they brought over from England that they were accustom to and put them into practice in the new colony.
ReplyDeleteOf course the pilgrims came to start a new life with new beginnings, ideas and concepts of differences between church and state. I wonder if they king knew of their difference of ideas, would he have granted their leave. Angela Webb
ReplyDeleteWell to me the compact doesn't suggest any hopefulness, but they knew that earlier settlers failed due to lack of govt., so that's why they came up with the compact, in hopes that it wouldn't fail. The idea was to set up a govt. from within-which was among men who honored God, and set their founding principles of the compact-by the words of the bible. Roshonna Horne
ReplyDeleteThe Mayflower Compact I believe was created as a mission statement for a new country.Promises to be obeyed by settlers. A document to be obeyed and words of commitment to a nation and to God. Pilgrims looked at this as a way of hope.
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