Which document did the Pilgrims draft to establish a framework for governance in their settlement?

Which document did the Pilgrims draft to establish a framework for governance in their settlement?

• A. Magna Carta
• B. Mayflower Compact
• C. Northwest Ordinance
• D. Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how early settlers organized themselves to govern a new community. The correct document is the Mayflower Compact, drafted and signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. It established a plan for self-government: a civil body politic formed by those aboard the ship, with laws chosen and followed by the will of the people. This was practical and oriented toward survival and order, asserting that authority comes from the agreement of the governed and that decisions would be made by majority rule. It isn’t a grand constitution, but it set an important precedent for self-governing communities in America and influenced later developments in colonial charters and constitutional thinking. The other documents aren’t connected to the Pilgrims’ settlement. Magna Carta dates from medieval England and limited royal power there. The Northwest Ordinance was a late 18th‑century framework for governing new western territories, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was a Virginia measure about religious liberty drafted much later.

The main idea being tested is how early settlers organized themselves to govern a new community. The correct document is the Mayflower Compact, drafted and signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. It established a plan for self-government: a civil body politic formed by those aboard the ship, with laws chosen and followed by the will of the people. This was practical and oriented toward survival and order, asserting that authority comes from the agreement of the governed and that decisions would be made by majority rule. It isn’t a grand constitution, but it set an important precedent for self-governing communities in America and influenced later developments in colonial charters and constitutional thinking.

The other documents aren’t connected to the Pilgrims’ settlement. Magna Carta dates from medieval England and limited royal power there. The Northwest Ordinance was a late 18th‑century framework for governing new western territories, and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was a Virginia measure about religious liberty drafted much later.