In what year was the Mayflower Compact created?

In what year was the Mayflower Compact created?

• A. 1492
• B. 1776
• C. 1865
• D. 1620

Answer: (D)

Understanding when early colonial self-government began helps place this document in history. The Mayflower Compact was drafted and signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower as they prepared to establish a settlement at Plymouth. It created a civil body politic and established that laws would be made with the consent of the governed, based on majority rule. This moment is important because it shows settlers organizing their own governance rather than relying solely on a distant authority. Other listed dates correspond to different events (Columbus’s voyage in the late 1400s, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Civil War ending in 1865), so 1620 is the date that fits the creation of the Mayflower Compact.

Understanding when early colonial self-government began helps place this document in history. The Mayflower Compact was drafted and signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower as they prepared to establish a settlement at Plymouth. It created a civil body politic and established that laws would be made with the consent of the governed, based on majority rule. This moment is important because it shows settlers organizing their own governance rather than relying solely on a distant authority.

Other listed dates correspond to different events (Columbus’s voyage in the late 1400s, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Civil War ending in 1865), so 1620 is the date that fits the creation of the Mayflower Compact.