who wrote the mayflower compact

The Mayflower Compact was written by the men aboard the Mayflower ship in 1620, primarily drafted by Pilgrim leaders including William Bradford and William Brewster. William Brewster, a well-educated Pilgrim pastor, is often credited as the principal author. The document was created as a social contract to establish a temporary, legally-binding self-government for the Plymouth Colony, signed by 41 male passengers while anchored off Cape Cod. The original document is lost, but its text is known from William Bradford's manuscript and other early publications. The Compact was signed to maintain unity and order among the settlers who landed outside the bounds of their original patent territory, ensuring cooperation and allegiance to laws made for the colony's general good.