LAD/Blog #1: Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

 

[ above: the Mayflower Compact ]

[ above: a depiction of the signing of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut ]

1. What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?
Included in the Mayflower Compact are the concepts of advancing Christian faith, bringing glory to the King and mother country, and creating more concise order within the colony they seek to establish though becoming a civil body that can make laws, ordinances, etc. in the best interests of the colony and its inhabitants.

2. How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?
By referring to themselves as "loyall subjects of our dread soueraigne Lord King James," the signers show an attachment to the "Old" world from whence they came. By agreeing to establish, enact, and otherwise impose laws, acts, and the like for the "generall good of y^e colonie," to which they pledge "all due submission and obedience," they show a concern for an attachment to the "New" world that they plan to live in.

3. How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (hereafter abbreviated to "Fundamental Orders"), most obviously differ from the Mayflower Compact in length; the Fundamental Orders are most noticably longer than the Mayflower Compact and address many more issues. One other particularly significant divergence is that the Fundmental Orders make no reference to the King, Britain, or any location outside of Connecticut, where it is most relevant. The Fundamental Orders also specifically dictate how their government is to be run, where the Mayflower Compact is merely a vague agreement to form a government.

4. What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?
To protect their liberties and interests, they wanted an "orderly and decent Government established," and sought to specify how it should run in order to achieve that goal by writing the Fundamental Orders.

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?
It specifies exactly how the government will work, so as not to enable a governor to gain too much power; as well, the governor is barred from becoming holding office for an excessively long period of time, because the document sets a term limit. It also provides for democratic elections, ensuring that whatever governor elected will be approved by the people.