LAD #1 Mayflower compact and Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1. What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The main concept is to create a government by the people for the people. They want to create a democracy where people will be granted equal rights, therefore giving them more opportunities to succeed and enjoy life.  Another concept is to preserve their way of life, but create order within it.  They want to make changes, but do not want to completely change their way of living especially their religion.

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

The people who wrote the Mayflower Compact want to preserve their way of life including their loyalty to the English King and their religion and religious behaviors. Although they want to stay attached to the "Old" world, they also want to aspects of the "New" world including an organized government and equality of people.

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

The Mayflower Compact was a much smaller agreement by a few people who wanted to work together to create a government with laws and equality. The Compact was brief and broad without details on how these people would evolve the idea and create it. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut was a much longer, more detailed document with a plan on how the government would be run.  It establishes that one person, the Governor, would be elected to and multiple other individuals would have power in other government positions, as well.

4. What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government?

The colonists took this approach and wrote out a constitution so they would have an outlined agreement of their rights and would know exactly what laws they would have to abide by and what freedoms they would be allowed. This gave them a set in stone document that would assure them of their equality and take away the fear that might come along with proposing and creating a new government.

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

The Fundamental Order makes sure that not one individual will have absolute power over the colony and that many people will be elected and put in government positions to each have jobs that balance each other out, creating a balance of power.  Also, people are able to vote for who they want so they have a say and are able to vote for who they want in charge. Lastly, the Governor is unable to run for office or hold the position for more than 2 consecutive years. This means that if the Governor is not making the best decisions for the people or is gaining too much power they will be unable to keep running after 2 years and the people will not vote for them again.

Pictures:

I chose to put a picture of the Mayflower because it directly relates to the Mayflower Compact. It is the ship the colonists traveled on to reach the "New" world. I also chose the Preamble to the Constitution because it is similar to the Compact. They are both short, broad ideas or desires that the people want in their Constitutions. Neither of them use detail to describe how they are going to do the things they both promise, but they are the beginning of a new government and set the base for new ideas and thinking.