The Mayflower Compact was established in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower before they landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It served as an early form of self-governance and social contract among the settlers. The Compact was created to ensure that the colonists would work together for the common good and establish a government for their new settlement despite being outside the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company. The principles set within this document foreshadowed later democratic practices in America, highlighting the importance of majority rule and collective decision-making.