Mark Alexander of the Patriot Post has an interesting article titled “The History and Legacy of Thanksgiving.”
The Mayflower, carrying 102 pilgrims and 30 crew members landed at Provincetown Harbor off the coast of what is now Massachusetts in November, 1620. The winters of 1620 and 1621 were harsh and only 53 survived.
With aid of American Indians, the colonists managed to grow enough to survive the winter of 1621/1622 and at that time Governor Bradford changed policy for the growing season of 1622.
Following is an excerpt from Alexander’s account:
Endeavoring to improve the production at Plymouth Plantation for its second growing season in 1622, Governor Bradford implemented a collectivist policy, and noted that to increase production, he allotted each family a plot of land, and mandated that “all profits & benefits that are got by trade, working, fishing, or any other means” must be forfeited to a common storehouse in order that “all such persons as are of this colony, are to have their meat, drink, apparel, and all provisions out of the common stock.”
In theory, their Governor thought the colony would thrive because each family would receive equal share of produce without regard to their contribution. Unfortunately, then as always, collectivism only works in theory, and the new policy almost destroyed the Plymouth settlement. Indeed, collectivism is antithetical to human nature, and destined to fail, as Plato’s student Aristotle observed in 350 BC: “That which is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed upon it.” But to this day, many still fail to grasp the “tragedy of the commons.”
After abysmal results in 1622, Bradford realized that his collectivist plan had undermined the incentive to produce. He wrote, “The failure of that experiment of communal service … the taking away of private property, and the possession of it in community, by a commonwealth … was found to breed much confusion and discontent; and retard much employment which would have been to the general benefit…. For the young men who were most able and fit for service objected to being forced to spend their time and strength in working for other men’s wives and children, without any recompense…. The strong man or the resourceful man had no more share of food, clothes, etc., than the weak man who was not able to do a quarter the other could. This was thought injustice. The aged and graver men, who were ranked and equalized in labor, food, clothes, etc., with the humbler and younger ones, thought it some indignity and disrespect to them.”
The women “who were obliged to do service for other men, such as cooking, washing their clothes, etc., they considered it a kind of slavery, and many husbands would not brook it….”
In 1623, the colonists traded in their collectivist approach for a free market system in which all could keep the fruits of their own labor. The result was an abundant harvest in 1623 and in 1624 they had so much surplus that they could ship corn to England.
You can read Alexander’s entire article here: http://patriotpost.us/pages/284
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