Which event established a precedent for ordered, representative government in the colonies?

Which event established a precedent for ordered, representative government in the colonies?

• A. The Mayflower Compact
• B. The Treaty of Paris
• C. The Stamp Act
• D. The Intolerable Acts

Answer: (A)

Self-government through a social compact is being tested. The Mayflower Compact, drafted by the Pilgrims in 1620, established a civil body politic and a plan to govern the colony by laws they would create together, with the consent of the governed. This introduces the idea that authority comes from the people and that rules are set by a community through agreement, a clear step toward ordered, representative government in the colonies. The Treaty of Paris ended a war and drew new borders, not how colonies would govern themselves. The Stamp Act imposed a British tax on the colonists, triggering resistance rather than establishing self-rule. The Intolerable Acts punished Massachusetts and expanded royal control, undermining colonial self-government rather than setting a precedent for it.

Self-government through a social compact is being tested. The Mayflower Compact, drafted by the Pilgrims in 1620, established a civil body politic and a plan to govern the colony by laws they would create together, with the consent of the governed. This introduces the idea that authority comes from the people and that rules are set by a community through agreement, a clear step toward ordered, representative government in the colonies.

The Treaty of Paris ended a war and drew new borders, not how colonies would govern themselves. The Stamp Act imposed a British tax on the colonists, triggering resistance rather than establishing self-rule. The Intolerable Acts punished Massachusetts and expanded royal control, undermining colonial self-government rather than setting a precedent for it.