LAD #1: Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The first colony was established for God's glory, to extend the Christian faith, and to honor their king and country.

All present had to agree to join together to form a political group

That same political body had to create and enforce laws for the good of the community

A group of representatives had to meet from time to time to preserve the "Good of the Colony"

2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?

The Mayflower Compact reflects an attachment to the Old World by showing loyalty to the country they emigrated from. They show honor to the King James of England, France, and Ireland. However, they show attachment to the new world by creating their own political body separate from King James'. They create new laws and have different political representatives.

3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?

The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut have the rules outlined more specifically. The Orders are a list of laws that describe how the colonists will protect their own rights, using elections and trials. On the other hand, the Mayflower Compact was extremely vague and didn't specifically state any laws.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?

The colonists needed a stronger more stable government as well as something different from the government they left behind. To reach this, more laws and set guidelines are necessary. Also, this democratic form of government allowed the majority of colonists to have a say in what they wanted their rights to be.

5) In what significant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few?

The way the Orders reflect fear of a single powerful individual is by setting up a democratic body. This distributes the power more evenly among more people. The government officials had to be elected by the people. Also, elections were held every year so no one person could hold power for too long.