Commemorating the Mayflower Compact
By Julia L . Ernst
The Mayflower Compact
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 Honour of our King and Country , a Voyage to plant the First Colony in 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 11th 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 .
Four hundred years ago , on Nov . 11 , 1620 , 41 adult males aboard the ship Mayflower signed an agreement they called a “ combination ” – later named the Mayflower Compact – as the basis of governance for their fledgling community . Through this seemingly simple act , the original settlers of Plymouth Colony planted the seeds of equality , freedom of religion and belief , and consent of the governed on our nation ’ s shores . These values sprouted within other early colonies , colonial documents , and governance structures , which served as precursors to the Declaration of Independence and the U . S . Constitution .
The “ Pilgrims ,” as Daniel Webster first branded them in a bicentennial speech in 1820 , did not originally intend to create a charter for self-governance while embarking on their journey . Indeed , the small band of religious Separatists , who called themselves the “ Saints ,” had governed themselves throughout their decade-long exile in Holland without the need for a written document establishing a governance structure . Although their temporary refuge in Leiden provided greater religious freedom than they had experienced in England , religious and political unrest brewing on the European continent and concern their children were assimilating into Dutch culture caused the immigrants to flee once again .
Undoubtedly understanding the dangers , they chose to attempt to create a settlement in America , far from the turmoil developing in Europe and the religious persecution they had experienced in their homeland . Returning briefly to England , a segment of the religious group began making arrangements to travel across the Atlantic . Realizing they would need supplementary skills for their colony to survive , they accepted the addition of craftsmen , marksmen , and others ( whom the Saints called the “ Strangers ,” all with their own reasons to abandon their former lives ), who could help build a settlement from scratch in the wilderness .
A series of setbacks and false starts prevented this disparate band of refugees from leaving England during the more auspicious summer sailing season . Relaunching on Sept . 6 , the storm-tossed Mayflower veered off-course from its original destination of the Hudson River Valley , at that time part of the region called Virginia . Arriving instead at Cape Cod , treacherous shoals and worsening winter weather prevented them from voyaging south . They were forced to find a suitable location nearby to establish their colony .
Realizing the colonists did not have a valid charter from the king to settle in this region , several of the Strangers – including my ancestor John Billington – began mutinous rumblings , threatening to make their own way in this uncharted land and leave the Saints
12 THE GAVEL