Final answer:
The Mayflower Compact was significant as the first step towards self-governance in the New World, establishing a social contract among settlers and laying the groundwork for the principles of democracy to influence the future American government.
Step-by-step explanation:
The signing of the Mayflower Compact in 1620 was significant for future developments of American government because it was one of the first steps towards self-governance in the New World. Pilgrims who were originally bound for Virginia, found themselves landing at Cape Cod and, without a valid charter for this region, decided to create their own form of government. Drafting the Mayflower Compact symbolized a social contract that established a government which reflected the collective will of the people, setting a precedent for democratic principles and influence on the future constitutional framework of the United States. This document was pivotal because it meant that instead of living under the direct rule of the Crown or a distant company, the settlers agreed to form a political community and abide by their own rules and regulations for the greater good, with notions of direct democracy and social contract at its core. Notably, the Mayflower Compact supports the idea of creating polities that are accountable to their constituents, which would echo through to the formation of later democratic institutions. Additionally, the establishment of a formal structure of government in Plymouth, including the election of officials and the creation of legislative bodies, directly evolved from the frameworks imagined in the Compact.