The Mayflower Compact created what kind of government?

• A. A civil body politic
• B. An autocratic royal regime
• C. A centralized bureaucratic state
• D. A military dictatorship

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is how early settlers organized governance through a voluntary agreement. The Mayflower Compact established a civil body politic—a self-governing political community formed by the passengers who pledged to make and follow laws for the general good. They consented to be governed by those laws and to elect or appoint leaders to carry them out, emphasizing rule by the people rather than by a single ruler. This is not an autocratic royal regime, a centralized bureaucratic state, or a military dictatorship; it’s civilian self-government based on mutual agreement and cooperation. This compact helped lay the groundwork for later ideas of self-rule in the English colonies and, ultimately, in American political development.