top of page

The Pilgrims' Rebellion

Thanksgiving emerged from a rebellion of sorts. The "pilgrims" on board the Mayflower (a motley group totally 102 men, women, and children) were under a directive: they were to form a "commonwealth."


Everything they did had to be in "common." This was in a day before socialism or communism, but the financiers of the project were, I suppose, ignorant of human nature. They mandated a collectivist system in black and white.


So that is what they did under the leadership of William Bradford. But it was not working. They were tilling the ground in a wilderness. It was difficult, to say the least.


Some folks worked very hard. Others, not so much. But in a communal situation, what you were given out of the communal store was not based on how hard you worked. The communal store shrank, and everyone knew who worked and who didn't.


William Bradford was faced with unhappy people who were going to starve if he didn't do something. So he ditched the official directive. He divided the land so that each family had their own plot.


Suddenly, everyone was working hard and few grumbled. The corn grew. The settlement was saved. So as much as we credit Squanto and his help with his agricultural know-how, the Pilgrims would have died under socialism.


Capitalism saved them.

Σχόλια


Featured Posts