On this day in 1620, 41 colonists signed the Mayflower Compact
November 11, 2024
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 11 of November, repeating indefinitely
On this day in 1620, 41 colonists signed the Mayflower Compact off the coast of present-day Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
A religiously divided group of Separatist Pilgrims and pro-Church of England colonists, the settlers needed some type of binding governance to survive together in a new land. The Mayflower Compact filled this need, organizing the colonists into a society that would create and abide by common laws.
The Compact was the first document to establish American self-government. It remained a governing document for the Plymouth Colony for over 70 years, up until its merger with the Massachusetts Colony.
The Mayflower Compact, 1620, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1932
