The importance of the Mayflower compact for the democratic society is that it is the first document written to state that the opinion of the majority would be the one that rules. It is considered to be the first step for self-government in the country.
The importance of the Mayflower Compact lies in the fact, it is the document, which opened the way to democracy for America. The Mayflower compact was a covenant among the people who came to America on the ship, The Mayflower seeking to gain religious freedom from the Church of England.
A covenant is an agreement, a promise made by a group of people, who call upon God as a witness to their promise. The Mayflower compact was such an agreement. The promise made by the people was to treat one another with brotherly love, seek to supply each other's needs and live together in peace and harmony. They promised to share in each other's joys and sorrows, and to work for the greater good of their community.
Their form of government was a government for the people, by the people, in its purest meaning. John Carver was elected to be their first governor, in the land they named, New Plymouth. With the election they created a social contract, an agreement with those who govern, and the governed to develope laws and regulations, which preserve with equality the rights of all.
The men and women of the Mayflower were called Separatists, because they separated, from the Church of England. They objected to some of the religious beliefs being forced upon them, by the Church of England. They believed in the concept of separation of Church and State in its pure form.
On September 20, 1620, the Mayflower sailed away from Plymouth, England with 102 passengers, headed for the freedom, they envisioned at the end of their journey. A little over two months later, they docked, at what we now call Plymouth Rock. After writing and signing the Mayflower Compact, they embarked upon their new life, in a new country.
It was the first document stating the rights that the colonists have and that must be followed. Creating and followed by the declaration and the constitution.
