8. "Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the

Question

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 of 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 llth of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord
King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of
Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620."
--Mayflower Compact, 1620
What was unique about the Mayflower Compact?

It was the first charter sending immigrants to the New World.
It was the first document rejecting rule by the mother country's monarch.
It was the first document recognizing self-government and established the tradition
of elected officials.
It recognized the need for a strong authoritarian leader to oversee the success in
establishing the colonies.

Answer 1

The unique aspect of the Mayflower Compact is that it was the first document recognizing self-government and established the tradition of elected officials. The Compact represented an early form of social contract and set a precedent for future democratic governance in America, as the settlers agreed to create their own laws and govern themselves.