Basic facts about the Mayflower Compact and the 1st Charter of Virginia

1st Virginia Charter * Date: 1606 * Speaker: King James * Grammatical subject: “we” * Geographical location: Virginia (the South) * Declared Goals of 1st Virginia Charter: Religion, Civilization, Find Gold * Kind of Government that was envisaged: a representative assembly (13 persons to ordained and removed from time to time) that had a lot of autonomy (they shall govern all matters that arise within the colony)

Mayflower Compact * Date: 1620 * Speaker: Colonists * Grammatical subject: “we” * Geographical location: Cape Cod (Massachusetts – the North) * Declared goals of the Mayflower Compact: Religion, King, Survival/Security * Kind of Government that was envisaged: pure democracy (we will make laws and we will obey the laws; we combine ourselves together into a civil body politic)

Conclusion * In the early 1600s the American colonies established governments that were : * highly independent * and relatively democratic for the time. * But despite these common traits, the colonies were based on different religions and they mistrusted each other.

The Declaration of Independence – 1776

This text, written by Thomas Jefferson during the Revolutionary War, asserts that: 1. all men are equal 2. all men have “unalienable” rights, including: a. life b. liberty c. the pursuit of happiness 3. governments are made by men for the purpose of protecting their rights and they get their authority from the people 4. when governments don’t protect the people’s rights, then the people can abolish them and make new ones

The Constitutional Convention – 1787

The first constitution of the United States was called “The Articles of Confederation.” It had many problems, including:

* Every state had its own currency and monetary policy * Every state pursued its own foreign