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Opinion

The Mayflower Compact and ‘Consent of the Governed’ Is Now 400 Years Old

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The Mayflower Compact and ‘Consent of the Governed’ Is Now 400 Years Old
'9th November 1620, Signing the Mayflower Compact' by Edward Percy Moran (1862-1935). Aboard ship the pilgrims are signing an agreement for temporary government of the colony by the will of the majority. Three Lions/Getty Images
Rob Natelson
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Commentary

The year 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Compact. The agreement, signed by 41 Pilgrim Fathers in 1620, was the first in a series of documents memorializing deliberate self-government in America.

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Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor, is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Mountain States Policy Center and the Independence Institute. He authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025) and is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”
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