An agreement made in 1620 by the Pilgrims establishing a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

An agreement made in 1620 by the Pilgrims establishing a self-governing colony based on majority rule.

• A. English Bill of Rights
• B. Declaration of Independence
• C. Constitution
• D. Mayflower Compact

Answer: (D)

This question tests your understanding of early colonial self-governance and the first practical step toward governing by the people’s consent. The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower wrote and signed an agreement to form a civil body politic and to enact laws for the general good, with decisions made by majority rule. This was done in 1620 because they landed outside the London Company’s charter and needed a basic framework to govern themselves fairly and establish order. The essence here is that the compact created self-government based on consent and majority decision, a foundational idea for how communities can organize themselves without direct royal control. It isn’t about later documents that shift or formalize government in different times and contexts: the English Bill of Rights comes from a later era and focuses on limiting the monarchy, the Declaration of Independence proclaims independence from Britain, and the Constitution sets up the later framework of the U.S. federal government. The Mayflower Compact best matches the description of a self-governing colony organized by majority rule.

This question tests your understanding of early colonial self-governance and the first practical step toward governing by the people’s consent. The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower wrote and signed an agreement to form a civil body politic and to enact laws for the general good, with decisions made by majority rule. This was done in 1620 because they landed outside the London Company’s charter and needed a basic framework to govern themselves fairly and establish order.

The essence here is that the compact created self-government based on consent and majority decision, a foundational idea for how communities can organize themselves without direct royal control. It isn’t about later documents that shift or formalize government in different times and contexts: the English Bill of Rights comes from a later era and focuses on limiting the monarchy, the Declaration of Independence proclaims independence from Britain, and the Constitution sets up the later framework of the U.S. federal government. The Mayflower Compact best matches the description of a self-governing colony organized by majority rule.