Final answer:
The first self-governing document in the American colonies was The Mayflower Compact, signed in 1620, which established the precedence for self-governance and democratic rule among the Pilgrims.
Step-by-step explanation:
The significant document for being the first self-governing document in the American colonies is a. The Mayflower Compact. Signed in 1620 by forty-one Pilgrim men on board the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor, it served as an agreement to govern themselves according to laws created by the male voters of the colony. This compact represents the beginning of self-rule among the Pilgrims, predating other significant documents like the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of formal bodies like the Virginia House of Burgesses and the inclusion of Bill of Rights in state constitutions.