You Are The Historian: Investigating The Mayflower Compact

Client: Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Aboard the Mayflower during its 1620 sail from England to what would be known as Plymouth Colony, a document laid the foundation for the colonists' government in New England. The Mayflower Compact, signed by adult male passengers, helped to maintain order and establish a civil society. Developing a deeper understanding of this historical primary source document requires engaging beyond the memorization of dates and names. Created in collaboration with Plimoth Patuxet Museums, the new Mayflower Compact interactive educates players on the document’s content, the context in which it was written, and its historical legacy through interactive storytelling, engaging mechanics, and learning through play. 

In this interactive, players take on the role of a high school employee at a time travel agency. Players' main objective is to organize the chaotic historical tour of the Mayflower’s 1620 journey and its passengers’ creation of the Compact to create a compromise with their travel agency coworkers. There are six minigames that build the player’s understanding of the Compact’s history; Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why. After completing each minigame, players return to the travel agency to resolve office conflicts between their fictional coworkers, mirroring the themes of compromise and governance within the Mayflower Compact repackaged in a modern context. 

The interactive is available on the Plimoth Patuxet Museum’s website.

A Peek Inside

Product: Web interactive with six minigames

Age Range: Middle school students