One major concept was the establishment of a form of government. Other concepts include the continued loyalty to the King as well as to Christianity. The Mayflower Compact also included the enforcement of laws and acts for the people.
2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?
It is evident that the Mayflower Compact reflects the "Old" world in its clear loyalty to the King and Christianity as well as the incorporation of government ideals that are aspects of British law. However, it also reflects attachment to the "New" world in the sense that there are beginnings of democracy and mentions of having a local government ruling for the people.
3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?
They were alike because they both set up governments in the "New" world. However, the Mayflower Compact was very general and almost just served as a basic idea on how the "New" world government would eventually be run. The Fundamental Orders went into very specific detail and included actual laws and the ways to run elections and court trials. The Fundamental Orders clearly stated how the colonial government would run while the Mayflower Compact had a general approach.
4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?
The colonists needed a way to unify the towns in the colony and efficiently run them. This required a specific government and set of laws to be set up, which was done through the Constitution. The colonists also liked the idea of having the power in their own hands to run their colony instead of solely relying on the government of Great Britain which was an ocean away (and part of the reason they left in the first place).
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?
The Fundamental Orders have several aspects that clearly show the colonists preference to avoid a situation where one person gets all the control (like in Great Britain). This can be seen with the democratic ideals that were weaved in. The Fundamental Orders made it so that more people voted and had a say in government. Also, there were two General Assemblies which provided a sort of checks and balances aspect to their new government so no one got complete control. Lastly, they created limits on the amount of time people could be in power so as to avoid someone becoming an all-powerful ruler for life. The fact that all of this was included in the Fundamental Orders shows the colonists's distaste for the government in Great Britain and their desire for a government run their way.
ncmayflower.org threebrotherswhiskey.com
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