Don’t Lose Sight of This Important Milestone Amid Pandemic, Election Stories
“Count your many blessings, name them one by one.”
This Thanksgiving it may seem harder than usual to think of them. However, there are still many. Whether gathering this year in person or virtually, let’s all take time to reflect on a special blessing and a special historic milestone.
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Compact.
On Nov. 21, 1620 (Nov. 11, 1620 O.S.), after 66 days at sea, 41 Mayflower passengers comprised of Separatist Pilgrims seeking religious freedom and a smaller group of “strangers” who did not share their beliefs or their background, voluntarily entered into a covenant that marked the birth of self-government in the New World.
The Compact was simple but profound: “We … do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another … Covenant and Combine ourselves together in a Civil Body Politic, for our better ordering and preservation … and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony, unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.”
The significance of this precedent can hardly be overstated.
Self-government – the concept of common people making their own laws – was foreign to the Pilgrims’ experience as subjects of an oppressive monarchy, and it was foreign to most of world history. Importantly, the Compact also reaffirmed the centrality of the rule of law to a functioning civilization. This first framework of government in what would become the United States was indeed foundational. The idea of government being directed by the people is a central tenant of our republic.
The Mayflower Compact helped establish the structure for civil society and maintained order under the direction of the people themselves.
This Thanksgiving, on the 400th anniversary of the signing of the Compact, we can all give thanks for this blessing that laid an enduring cornerstone of our liberty.
Steve Grasz sits on the United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and is a direct descendant of Pilgrim elder William Brewster.
Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.
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