The Mayflower Compact of 1620 was not a governing constitution — it was a damage-control document. When the Speedwell repeatedly took on water and was abandoned, the Mayflower's passenger list shifted dramatically, leaving a significant portion of non-Separatist "Strangers" aboard who had no legal obligation to the Leiden congregation's authority. The Compact was drafted aboard ship, still anchored off Provincetown, specifically to prevent those colonists from dispersing independently upon landing.
This issue is part of the American Women Quarters Program's silver bullion companion series, struck at .999 fineness rather than the standard clad composition of the circulating quarter.
The Mayflower Compact of 1620 was not a governing constitution — it was a damage-control document. When the Speedwell repeatedly took on water and was abandoned, the Mayflower's passenger list shifted dramatically, leaving a significant portion of non-Separatist "Strangers" aboard who had no legal obligation to the Leiden congregation's authority. The Compact was drafted aboard ship, still anchored off Provincetown, specifically to prevent those colonists from dispersing independently upon landing.
This issue is part of the American Women Quarters Program's silver bullion companion series, struck at .999 fineness rather than the standard clad composition of the circulating quarter.