2005-11-23

The 1st Thanksgiving & the failed experiment. A history lesson

It’s not just football and turkey, after all!

Everybody knows of the story of first Thanksgiving, the feast, the brotherhood, the friendship of the natives, etc., etc., so I won't go into that much. What is not widely known is that prior to, and after that harvest festival, the pilgrims partook in an experiment, not for the first time in history, not the last either. But it had the same result.

As Governor William Bradford later wrote, explaining the belief “…that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing”. This idea (paraphrased) was that all working together for the common good, for the community, where all would share and share alike the fruits of each others labor… that the whole was greater than the sum of the parts, was put to the test. Governor Bradford went on: “The young men, that were most able and fit for labour and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could”.

Those who worked had the same as those who didn’t! So why work hard at all! There was no feast the following year.

The thought that those who could work and did, were no wealthier, no more well off than the man who could work and didn’t. Those who couldn’t produce were compensated the same as the innovators, the hard laborers, business leaders. (I know I’m repeating myself, but do ya get the point)? 450 years later I learned a phrase to describe this this system: "From each according to ability, to each according to need". – Marx (Karl, not Groucho) - 1848

The communal system was abandoned in the spring of 1623 – because it wasn’t working! Not quite “every-man-for-himself”, as the whole of the community was still of import, but a philosophy that if one should work hard and be rewarded relevant to those labors, he would produce far more. One who once could “stay in bed” and still “provide” for his family, would be forced to produce or face starvation. Each family was given land to own, keep and harvest. The results could not be clearer.

Bradford writes: “This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression."

The Socialist experiment ended. (as well as the first welfare state). Freedom, property ownership, free enterprise and hard work built the strongest, the most productive economy, and the longest lasting democracy and free nation in the history of the world. And this has nothing to do with the government, other than they saw it best to stay out of the way. (Help us choose our leaders, keep us safe, and delivery the mail… then let human nature take care of the rest!) Our constitution provides for very little in the workings of an economy because our founding fathers learned the lessons from those first few winters.

…And why is this little story NOT told in our schools and in the media? We’ll look into that one at a later date!

Quotes of the day:

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson, 1801

No government can ever pass a law to equal the powers of the heart, soul and will of a free man (or woman). Me, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

Mike