Which document established a framework for governance in the Plymouth settlement?

Which document established a framework for governance in the Plymouth settlement?

• A. The Articles of Confederation
• B. The Federalist Papers
• C. Mayflower Compact
• D. Magna Carta

Answer: (C)

Self-government and a social contract in a new settlement is what this question examines. The Mayflower Compact was created by the Plymouth settlers in 1620 as a pledge to form a civil body politic and to enact laws for the general good, with rules to be agreed upon and followed by those who governed and those who were governed. This established a framework based on consent to lawful governance and the idea that authority comes from the people’s agreement, not from a distant ruler or charter alone. It served as an early model of self-rule for the colony and influenced later ideas about governing communities in America. The other documents come from different contexts: the Magna Carta is a medieval English charter limiting the king’s power; the Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers relate to the later United States and its national government rather than Plymouth’s settlement.

Self-government and a social contract in a new settlement is what this question examines. The Mayflower Compact was created by the Plymouth settlers in 1620 as a pledge to form a civil body politic and to enact laws for the general good, with rules to be agreed upon and followed by those who governed and those who were governed. This established a framework based on consent to lawful governance and the idea that authority comes from the people’s agreement, not from a distant ruler or charter alone. It served as an early model of self-rule for the colony and influenced later ideas about governing communities in America.

The other documents come from different contexts: the Magna Carta is a medieval English charter limiting the king’s power; the Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers relate to the later United States and its national government rather than Plymouth’s settlement.