The Mayflower Compact at 404: Foundational Ideal or Flawed Legacy

A Reality Check on America’s Myths

Dateline: November 21^st, 2024

As families across America prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, they often reflect on the Pilgrims’ celebrated feast with the Wampanoag people ~ a symbol of gratitude and unity in the face of hardship. Intertwined with this holiday is another pivotal moment in history: the signing of the Mayflower Compact on November 21^st, 1620.

Image credit: Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

The Compact, drafted aboard the Mayflower before the Pilgrims set foot on land, is often heralded as a precursor to the democratic ideals enshrined in America’s founding documents. Its legacy ~ like that of the first Thanksgiving ~ is contested and controversial, however, as it represents both a notable but flawed experiment in self-governance and a reflection of the inequalities and exclusions of its time.

Both occasions, celebrated as symbols of unity, are riddled with deeper contradictions. Romanticized narratives often obscure the unequal power dynamics, exclusionary practices, and profound consequences of colonization that defined these events.

Today, 404 years later, the Compact’s dual legacy invites us to reflect not only on its historical significance but also on the current state of the ideals it sought to uphold.

At a time when the rise of Christian Nationalism and the election of a new Administration raise concerns about threats to pluralism and civil society, revisiting this foundational document reminds us of the fragile balance between aspiration and reality.

A step toward self-governance

Frankly, the Mayflower Compact was a pragmatic response to the uncertainty of life to be encountered in an uncharted land. Confronted with dissent among the passengers ~ many of whom were not part of the Pilgrim congregation ~ the 41 white men aboard the ship crafted the document in order to unify the group under a shared commitment to enact “just and equal laws” for the good of the colony.

This vision of self-governance, though limited, marked a step forward in political thought. It emphasized the mutual consent of those governed. It reflected the Pilgrims’ religious convictions, based on covenantal theology ~ a belief that community governance should be rooted in mutual accountability and voluntary agreements. It foreshadowed the aspirations for pluralism that would emerge in America centuries later.

A legacy of exclusion

Despite the Compact’s stated ideals, history tells another story.

From the perspective of Indigenous peoples, the Compact and the settlement it established marked the beginning of a colonial project that would devastate them. The Wampanoag, who initially aided the Pilgrims, faced displacement, cultural erasure, and violence as the colony expanded. Theirs would be a fate visited upon other tribes throughout the nation’s march westward.  

The Compact also reflected patriarchal norms: only men signed it, excluding women from any formal role in governance. Moreover, the Pilgrims’ pursuit of religious freedom was not universal. They sought liberty for their own sect, not for others, and imposed strict religious conformity within their community. Do we not hear echoes of such sentiments today?

Finally, the Compact’s self-governance was limited. Far from breaking with British authority, the settlers remained subjects of King James I and bound by English law. The Compact’s scope was modest, although its symbolic significance would grow in the retelling of history.

Contemporary concerns: Christian Nationalism v. civil society

The Mayflower Compact’s mixed legacy holds particular resonance today, as the United States grapples with the rise of Christian Nationalism, a movement that seeks to merge American identity with a narrow vision of Christianity. (See my column of December 4^th, 2023 ~ What's more dangerous to democracy than Trumpism: Christian Nationalism)

Proponents of the movement often draw selectively from history, including documents like the Mayflower Compact (and the Bible), to argue for a nation defined by religious homogeneity rather than pluralism.

This revisionist framing threatens the ideals of mutual accountability and civil equality that the Compact tentatively embraced. It also stands in tension with the reality that the Pilgrims themselves were dissenters seeking refuge from religious persecution ~ a fact that underscores the dangers of conflating faith with governance.

The recent election of a new Administration should further heighten our concerns about the erosion of civil liberties and the rule of law. For many, the Compact’s promise of “just and equal laws” for the common good feels more precarious than ever. Its ideals ~ that governance must be inclusive, adaptable, and grounded in shared commitment—are as urgent today as they were 404 years ago.

The bottom line

The Mayflower Compact is both a foundational ideal and a flawed legacy. It represents a remarkable early experiment in collective governance, but it is also a product of its time, shaped by exclusion and colonial ambition.

As we reflect on its legacy during this Thanksgiving season, we ought to resist the simplistic narratives that dominate the parades and fill our children’s minds. The Compact’s historical significance lies in its role only as a starting point toward ideals that would later inform the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution ~ both of which, ironically, mirror the same contradictions ~ but that have yet to be realized and are now in jeopardy.

In this time of deep political and cultural division, revisiting the facts of the Thanksgiving holiday and the Compact offers another reminder of what distance we have yet to travel for a national unity that is grounded in inclusiveness rather than exclusionary ideologies.