Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith… we do solemnly and mutually… covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick… and by virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws… as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and gratitude—not only for the blessings in our personal lives, but also for the blessings we share as a nation. Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Even amid our modern divisions, we should remain thankful for something enduring: our system of liberty. And while the story of American freedom is often traced to 1776, this Thanksgiving offers a good opportunity to remember the legacy of liberty established much earlier by the Pilgrims and Puritans.
In 1620, the Pilgrims set sail from England seeking relief from religious persecution, followed later by the Puritans who shared the same desire for religious liberty. Both groups were shaped by Reformed theology, rooted in the Protestant Reformation and the teachings of John Calvin.
It is often assumed that the American Founding was shaped primarily by thinkers such as John Locke—and Locke’s influence is undeniable. But the Reformed theological and political traditions carried by the Pilgrims and Puritans may have had an even deeper impact.
Mark David Hall, a leading historian of the American Founding and Christianity, argues that the Pilgrims and Puritans profoundly shaped the development of American republicanism. As Hall explains, they created institutions and practices that prepared the way for self-governance, natural rights, limited government, and even resistance to tyranny.
In November 1620, after arriving in Cape Cod, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact before setting foot on land. Though often overlooked today, the Compact remains a foundational document in the development of American constitutionalism and self-government. Constitutional scholar James McClellan wrote that by adopting the Compact, the Pilgrims brought a contractual theory of government to the New World—an idea that would later influence colonial charters, state constitutions, and even the U.S. Constitution itself.
The Mayflower Compact reads in part:
Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith… we do solemnly and mutually… covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick… and by virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws… as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
While the document affirms loyalty both to God and to the British crown, it also establishes a government based on mutual agreement and self-rule. As McClellan observed, the founders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony committed themselves to a government grounded in popular consent and the rule of law.
Hall notes that the Compact reflects a core Reformed principle: that legitimate civic and ecclesiastical institutions require the consent of the governed. It stands as one of many contributions the Pilgrims and Puritans made toward American independence and the creation of a constitutional order that continues to serve our nation well.
President Calvin Coolidge later described their influence as essential to the “making of American constitutional history.” Hall similarly argues that the civil governments created by the Pilgrims and Puritans were among the most republican the world had ever seen. Daniel Webster went further, calling them the authors of “civil and religious liberty.”
This Thanksgiving, the story of the Mayflower Compact is well worth remembering. It is a reminder of the deep roots of American liberty, and of the blessings we inherit as Americans.
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