text:  So you ask, then, what was the commitment of our forefathers? Well, it was the documents that they penned, the institutions they founded. Start with the pilgrims back in 1620. The form of government that they instituted, known as the Mayflower Compact, was signed in this way. In the name of God, we whose names are underwritten, having undertaken this task for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith."