LAD #1: Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

  Signing the Mayflower Compact 1620 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact included all the important views and beliefs the colonists held about their situation, including loyalty to King James and their home country of England, as well as commitment to their new home in the colony.  Despite the formation of a "civil Body Politick," it did not so much create a governing body, as it did provide an agreement between the settlers that they would all remember and live by these principles.

2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect and attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?

The document begins by reaffirming the colonists' loyalty to the "Old World." Specifically, the British King James, his domain of England, France, and Ireland, and the Christian faith they come from. However, it also goes on to state that the colonists "promise all due Submission and Obedience" to the good of the colony, signifying their new responsibilities and commitment to the "New World" of the colony.

3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact? 

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut created a governing body for the colony in Connecticut, as well as creating a written constitution protecting the rights of the citizens of the towns. In contrast to the Mayflower Compact, it is much more explicit in its wording and intentions, and provides a written record of the creation of an actual government, as well as the appended constitution which was omitted from the Mayflower Compact altogether.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution? 

By outlining their immutable rights upon creation of the government, the colonists protected themselves as citizens, and prevented any government officials from abusing their power or taking advantage of the common people.  By putting these ideas in writing, the colonists made them harder for people to misinterpret, and impossible to change after the fact.

5) In what significant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few?

 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut put several safeguards against one person or a select few centralizing the power. The colonists made the decision to split power in the government between many officials, each with different duties, rather than have only one small government body make all the decisions. Since these decisions are outlines in the colony's constitution, it became impossible for officials to change how the government was structured without going against what was written in the constitution.

 

 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut