Mayflower Compact

Timeline

1. 1620Mayflower · MassachusettsThe passengers had deviated from their intended destination and the Virginia Company charter did not apply in this area; a dispute over authority arose between the "Strangers" and the Puritans, so the leaders proposed rebuilding the foundation of legitimate government through a written compact.
2. 1620Mayflower · MassachusettsForty-one adult men signed the compact, elected John Carver as the first governor, and established a governing framework "for the glory of God, the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our King and Country," along with colonial self-rule.