LAD #1: Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1.)  What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact w/signatures

          The Mayflower Compact includes the reasons for the colonists to attempt settling in Northern Virginia. They want to settle for a handful of reasons such as spread the Christian faith, for the glory of G-d, and of course for their mother country, Britian.  In the "Presence of G-d" they come together to for a "Civil Body Politick", or a goverment.

2.)  How does the Mayflower Compact reflect and attchment to both the "Old" and "New"worlds?
          The Mayflower Compact reflects both the “Old” and the “New” worlds independently and together. The “Old” world is talking about the loyal subjects of the king as well as advancing in his name, honor and under their religion. When discussing the “New” world, there were plans of action such as forming a new political body and taking action to settle the new land. These two worlds connect as well. They are connecting the “New” world, being Virginia to the “Old” world in lite of the fact that all of the goods and benefits and profits that were reaped were returned to The King, in a way like tribute. These ways of the old world were being brought over and put into practice in the new world, hence connecting them. 

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

          Simply put, the Mayflower Compact was an extremely rough draft of a constitution. It was meant to set up a bunch of general “rules” to follow and these were what the colonists who came aboard the Mayflower were to follow. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, on the other hand, was a much more organized document. The people of Connecticut had a clear idea as to what they wanted there government to look like and how they wanted their settlements’ laws to be structured. 

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

          When the colonists arrived in Connecticut, there was no one who was a set leader. The only leader that they had ever known, The King, was some hundred thousand miles away and had limited authority as to what he could do; not to mention that it would be a costly operation to manage these settlers seeing how expenses such as shipping people and supplies would be a lot and it would take a decent amount of time. So, in order to fill this void, the people of Connecticut created a set of laws that would allow them to establish their own government while preventing one person or group of peoples from rising to power and taking control of the new land.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

5.)  In what signifigant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safegaurd against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few?  Remember to include a related photo for each document.

          The biggest way that the Fundamental Orders document was a safeguard  against any one person or group of people rising up and taking power was due to the distribution of power and responsibilities. Throughout almost the entirety of the document, there were many different people who were involved in the government and each of them had a different job; a different role with different powers. 

This prevented one person from being too “strong” and taking control of others.