Why is the Mayflower Compact significant?

Question

1. It was the first written document forbidding colonists from voting directly on laws.
2. It was the first written document that did not recognize citizens' rights.
3. It was the first written agreement to make and abide by laws that insured "the general Good of the Colony."
4. It was the first written government document not created by the colonists.

Answer 1

The significance of the Mayflower Compact is best captured by option 3: It was the first written agreement to make and abide by laws that insured "the general Good of the Colony."

The Mayflower Compact, signed in November 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, established a framework for self-government and a social contract in which the settlers agreed to create and abide by laws for the good of the colony. This was a foundational document in the establishment of governance and democratic principles in what would later become the United States. It emphasized the ideas of self-rule and collective decision-making, laying the groundwork for future democratic practices.