Page:A Brief History of the Constitution and Government of Massachusetts (1925).pdf/13



the Plymouth Colony lasted as a separate entity less than a century, the founding of the Pilgrim Colony at Plymouth really marks the beginning of Massachusetts history.

This Pilgrim scheme of government and its development are of vital interest to the student of Massachusetts constitutional history. Historians say that the compact signed on board the Mayflower was not a constitution, as it did not create a government, yet that document is nevertheless of vast importance, and far more than a mere historical manuscript. It showed the desire for a government in which every one was to share, and within four months of landing, moreover, a captain was chosen, a treaty with the Indians was concluded, laws and orders were passed, and a governor was elected.

The colonists tried to obtain a charter but never succeeded in doing so. They governed under authority of a patent