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In the name of God, amen. We, the undersigned, are God-blessed kings of Great Britain, France and Ireland, loyal subjects of His Majesty King James, the defender of faith and church.
For the glory of God, to strengthen the Christian faith, and to enhance the honor of our king and country, we crossed the ocean and developed the first colony in Northern Virginia. Before God, we vowed to sign a contract and voluntarily form a people's self-governing group. In order to better realize, maintain and develop the above purposes, we will ensure that we will abide by and obey the laws, regulations, rules, articles of association and public offices formulated and promulgated from time to time in the future, which are considered to be the most suitable and convenient for all the people in this colony. Accordingly, we will divide England and 0 1 1 in BC 1620.
Because of this passage, the source of state power is expounded for the first time from the people's point of view: the state is established by consensus in the form of contract, and the public power of the state comes from the combination of some rights endowed by the people. The real power of law enforcement comes from people's recognition of the legitimacy and fairness of national laws, and they voluntarily obey out of awe of the law, rather than fear of national violence. Laws are enacted to safeguard the overall interests of all members of society, not to maintain a certain ruling order. That is to say, this contract written on a simple piece of paper fundamentally denies the theory of divine right of monarchy, and points out in some form that the power of the state comes from the combination of some private rights that all members of society reach a consensus through contract transfer.
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Regarding the foundation of America, the most important things are religion and commerce. Regarding the religious foundation of America, Frank of Germany and Bancroft, the father of American historiography, both think that Calvin is the true father of America. Its argument is of course based on the early American colonial activities in New England and its religious background of Puritanism, which is vividly described in this book. Tocqueville believes that Calvin's Puritanism is not only a religious theory, but also a political theory, among which the most substantial importance is the concept of contract in the Jewish-Christian tradition and the democratic concept, habits and operating procedures embodied in it.
Apart from this religious motive, business is also a very important factor. As far as these colonial groups in may flower are concerned, they went to the Virginia border in North America to farm. Initially, they were authorized by a company named "Virginia Company" in London, England, and signed a strict and meticulous economic contract with them, stipulating each other's rights and obligations. However, when the passengers arrived at the North Mayflower, whether intentionally or unintentionally, the ship left Virginia, causing disputes and riots among the passengers on board. Because there are not only devout Puritans who once lived in the Netherlands, but also some so-called "strangers" on board. In contrast, their motivation to come to North America is mainly to beg for food. As for religious pursuits, they are indifferent, and their intellectual and moral standards are not as good as those of the English Puritans or the "Puritans" who came to North America from Holland. Obviously, due to this new situation, the validity of their original contract with the Virginia company became a problem, because their position at that time had deviated from the established destination by hundreds of miles. In addition, some "strangers" who have no religious pursuit on board are atomic individuals, and they are not affiliated with the pilgrimage group from the Dutch community, so they do not belong to the jurisdiction of this British religious fellowship and its convention habits. That is to say, when may flower sails for North America and is about to land, they are in danger of disintegration, because both the economic contract with the British "Virginia Company" and the religious traditions and habits with God are no longer normative. In other words, they are in what Hobbes called a natural state. But if they spread out after landing and can't form a tight body to tide over the difficulties, they can't survive in the cold and barren North American continent. So, after repeated and solemn discussions and consultations, they signed a convention in the cabin, which was later called the Mayflower Convention, forming a secular folk political body and becoming the first solid cornerstone of the development of the American political system.
Later generations' interpretations of the Mayflower Convention can be described as varied, dazzling, conservative or radical, and different passions, parties and ideologies have painted it with different colors. Thus, with the passage of time, the Mayflower Convention has gradually become the legend and myth of the founding of the United States. Various speculations about it make people feel as if they are in Hobbes' so-called "dark kingdom" and have no chance to know its true colors. But there are some very meaningful explanations, one of which was put forward by a famous scholar named maclaurin in 1930s: He thought that the Mayflower Convention was a very old "law of the sea".
Basically, there are still many doubts about the Mayflower Convention, but its position in American history is beyond doubt, and it has even set a legal example all over the world!