 The Mayflower anchored at Provincetown Harbor on November 11 , 1620 . The Pilgrims did not have a patent to settle this area ; thus , some passengers began to question their right to land , complaining that there was no legal authority to establish a colony . In response to this , a group of colonists drafted and ratified the first governing document of the colony , the Mayflower Compact , while still aboard the ship as it lay off @-@ shore . The intent of the compact was to establish a means of governing the colony , though it did little more than confirm that the colony would be governed like any English town . It did , however , serve the purpose of relieving the concerns of many of the settlers . This social contract was written and signed by 41 Separatist men . It was modeled on the church covenants that Congregationalists used to form new congregations . It made clear that the colony should be governed by " just and equal laws , " and those who signed it promised to keep these laws . 
