The Mayflower Compact helped establish which political principle in early settlements?

• A. Self-government
• B. Monarchy
• C. Mercantilism
• D. Communal ownership

Answer: (A)

The Mayflower Compact is about self-government. The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower agreed to form a civil body politic and to create and follow just laws for the good of the settlement, with laws established by the consent of those governed. This early social contract established the idea that the community would govern itself through elected or agreed leaders and rules—not by a monarch’s direct rule. That emphasis on voluntary association, rule by the people, and consent-led governance is what makes it a clear early example of self-government in colonial America.

Monarchy would mean rule by a king, which isn’t what the Compact promotes. Mercantilism is an economic theory about wealth and trade, not a political framework the settlers established. Communal ownership relates to shared property, which isn’t the focus of the Compact’s governing plan.