What is the significance of the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact is significant primarily because it established self-government among the Plymouth Colony settlers. Created in 1620, this foundational document was signed by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower before they disembarked at Plymouth. It represented an early form of social contract in which the signers agreed to form a cooperative civil body politic for their mutual benefit and to create and follow their own laws.

This agreement underscored the principles of majority rule and consensual governance, enabling the settlers to establish a working government based on the collective agreement of those involved, rather than being imposed by an authority from afar. It laid the groundwork for future democratic practices in America by demonstrating how a group of people could organize themselves politically without the direct control of a monarchy or external authority, thus influencing later constitutional development in the U.S.

The other choices do not align with the historical context of the Mayflower Compact. It was not the first document to abolish monarchy in America, nor did it serve as the first constitution of the United States. Additionally, while the economic circumstances of the settlers were significant, the primary focus of the Mayflower Compact was on governance and social order.