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The Central Illinois 9/12 ProjectEducation Committee
 — 
 
Challenging You to Read, to Learn,to Own Knowledge!
Great Documents 
:
Remembering Our Past, Fixing our Gaze on the Future 
There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily.
–
George Washington
 
Great Documents: The Mayflower Compact
Page 2
 All Rights Reserved -- Central Illinois 9/12 Project 
The MayflowerCompact
“…all great and honourable actions are accompanied with great difficulties and must be both ent 
erprised and overcome withanswerable courages. It was granted that the dangers were great, but not desperate. The difficulties were many, but not invincible.
 For though there were many of them likely, yet they were not certain.”
 
Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647 
 
 – 
 
William Bradford
 
In September 1620 during the reign of King James I, a steadfast group of English citizens, later known as the Pilgrims,
some of the ―First Comers,‖
 came to America seeking religious freedom. Fearing their children were losing theirEnglish heritage and religious beliefs, this small, hardy group who had been livingin Leiden, Holland made plans to settle in Northern Virginia
 – 
as New Englandwas known at the time.
 
Great Documents: The Mayflower Compact
Page 3
 All Rights Reserved -- Central Illinois 9/12 Project 
The group had planned to make the voyage to America in two ships, the
Speedwell 
and
Mayflower 
.However, there were many problems with the
Speedwell 
; ultimately, the resilient group boarded the
Mayflower 
on September 6,1620 bound for the New World.¹ The passengers aboard the Mayflower had goneheavily into debt to come to America, borrowing from a group of English 
―merchantadventurers.‖
 Merchants and passengers together had formed a stock company,which held all money, livestock and land
 — 
assets were to have been divided afterseven years. In the end, the Plymouth Colony was not a success for the investors.  The 
Mayflower 
, 
was 
a grand cargo ship nearly 100 feet long; she had servedmany years in the wine trade. Of the 102 passengers on board the
Mayflower 
, only35 belonged to the Leiden congregation.¹ With the crowding of the 102passengers,plus the crew, each family was allotted very little space.Beyond the Leiden group, the travelers were almost all Anglicans seeking better economicopportunities in the New World. But in due course, all of these brave souls wereable to live and work together because they shared a great respect for the
Bible 
and strongly believed in political and religious freedom.¹
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