Final answer:
The Mayflower Compact was drafted due to the Pilgrims landing outside the Virginia Company charter with no legal authority and the need for self-governance in their new territory. It represented a significant early form of social contract and self-rule that also reflected the settlers' religious convictions and democratic intentions. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The circumstances that led to the formation of the Mayflower Compact were a combination of a lack of an official charter, the desire for self-governance, and the need to establish social order among the settlers. The Pilgrims, also known as Separatists, had initially intended to land within the boundaries of the Virginia Company's charter but instead found themselves in an area outside it, specifically in New England named by John Smith, with no legal authority to govern them.
This coupled with their desire to establish a colony founded on their religious principles and their commitment to live under a common government led to the drafting of the Mayflower Compact, which was a document of self-rule meant to govern their new society. The Compact, which was not initially recognized by the British Crown, laid the foundation for the creation of a formal structure of government within the colony.
The Mayflower Compact was significant because it was a pioneering document that influenced American democracy, emphasizing direct democracy and the creation of a government that expressed the will of the people. It bound the 41 male Pilgrim signatories to uphold social order and a government that reflected their shared goals of living according to their religious convictions to promote 'the glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country.'