Final answer:
The Mayflower Compact influenced the idea of Self-Government by establishing a government by social contract where the colonists would enact their own laws, setting a precedent for democratic governance in America. The correct option is A.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Mayflower Compact is widely regarded as an important step in the development of democratic governance in what would become the United States. Specifically, it influenced the idea of Self-Government. The Compact, drafted because the Pilgrims found themselves outside the bounds of their original Virginia Company charter, created a government by social contract, where the male voters of the colony would create their laws. This action laid the groundwork for a style of government where the people (initially just male voters) governed themselves, without a pre-existing institutional framework.
The Mayflower Compact laid the foundation for later, more formal legislative bodies and representation, such as the "General Court" in Plymouth, which emerged from the initial group of signatories once the population grew and formal towns began sending representatives. These developments echoed the rise of representative assemblies in other American colonies and foreshadowed the eventual thrust for independence from the British Crown, which was predicated on the colonists' established tradition of self-rule and representation.
Hence, Option A is correct.