Mayflower Compact
The first promise of American self-government, made aboard the Mayflower in 1620.
The year 2026 marks 250 years since the United States declared its independence. To commemorate this, the U.S. Mint issued five special quarters minted only during that single year, and the first of their themes is the “Mayflower Compact.”
The reverse of the coin depicts a sailing ship, the Mayflower, voyaging across the sea with its sails spread wide. Above are the words “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,” and below are the words “LIBERTY” and “MAYFLOWER COMPACT.”
The Mayflower Compact is a promise made aboard the Mayflower in 1620 by the Pilgrims, who had crossed to the New World in search of religious freedom. Before setting foot on the unfamiliar land, they resolved together to set their own rules and to all follow those rules together.
Though it was a short document, this promise embodied the spirit of self-government, that “the people govern themselves,” and is therefore regarded as one of the roots of American democracy. It was an event long before the nation was even established, but in effect it showed in advance upon what spirit the nation called America would be built.
This coin, engraved with a single small sailing ship, quietly reminds us that the story of America began not with a grand declaration, but with a small promise aboard one ship.