Which document created self-government in the colonies by establishing a direct democracy?

Which document created self-government in the colonies by establishing a direct democracy?

• A. Constitution of the United States
• B. Mayflower Compact
• C. Articles of Confederation
• D. Northwest Ordinance

Answer: (B)

Self-government means people in a community have a say in creating and following the rules that govern them. The Mayflower Compact fits this idea because the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower agreed to form a civil body politic and to make and follow laws for the colony’s good through their own consent. This is an early, direct approach to ruling themselves rather than being ruled by someone far away. The other documents don’t fit as well. The Constitution of the United States sets up a national government with elected representatives, not laws decided directly by all members of a colony. The Articles of Confederation created a loose alliance of states with a weak central government, not self-governing communities. The Northwest Ordinance organized governance for new territories, not the self-government of colonial communities. So, the document that best shows establishing self-government through direct democracy is the Mayflower Compact.

Self-government means people in a community have a say in creating and following the rules that govern them. The Mayflower Compact fits this idea because the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower agreed to form a civil body politic and to make and follow laws for the colony’s good through their own consent. This is an early, direct approach to ruling themselves rather than being ruled by someone far away.

The other documents don’t fit as well. The Constitution of the United States sets up a national government with elected representatives, not laws decided directly by all members of a colony. The Articles of Confederation created a loose alliance of states with a weak central government, not self-governing communities. The Northwest Ordinance organized governance for new territories, not the self-government of colonial communities.

So, the document that best shows establishing self-government through direct democracy is the Mayflower Compact.