LAD/Blog #1: Mayflower Compact/Fundamental Orders of CT

1.) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?
A concept that was included was the importance of God and how they were making this promise to God. Another concept is creating a form of government for the newly formed colony.

2.) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect and attachment to both the "old" and "new" worlds?
It reflects the old world in how it was written as a promise to not only God but to the monarchy back home. It reflects the new world in creating a government for the colony that is going to be set up.

3.) How does the fundamental orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?
The Fundamental Orders were guidelines of how they were setting up their government to be run and how it was meant to work. The Mayflower Compact on the other hand was a promise to God about what they had planned to do that weren't specifically spelling out how their laws or government was to be run or set up.

4.) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government , i.e.: use of a written constitution?
The colonists were following their interpretation of what they believed that God would have wanted them to do. Since they had just moved to a new place they needed to set up a government. This included writing out a new set of laws that everyone would need to follow.

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?
One way it helps to safeguard is that the public officials need to be voted into their positions by other fellow citizens. Another way is that those that help public offices were limited in the amount of time they were allowed to hold office.









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