The REAL Story Behind Thanksgiving

Did you know that the first [Plymouth Colony Pilgrim's] Thanksgiving was a celebration of the triumph of private property and individual initiative?

William Bradford was the governor of the original Pilgrim colony, founded at Plymouth in 1621. The colony was first organized on a communal basis, as their financiers required. Land was owned in common. The Pilgrims farmed communally, too, following the "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs" precept.

The results were disastrous. Communism didn't work any better 400 years ago than it does today. By 1623, the colony had suffered serious losses. Starvation was imminent.

Bradford realized that the communal system encouraged and rewarded waste and laziness and inefficiency, and destroyed individual initiative. Desperate, he abolished it. He distributed private plots of land among the surviving Pilgrims, encouraging them to plant early and farm as individuals, not collectively.

The results: a bountiful early harvest that saved the colonies. After the harvest, the Pilgrims celebrated with a day of Thanksgiving -- on August 9th.

Unfortunately, William Bradford's diaries -- in which he recorded the failure of the collectivist system and the triumph of private enterprise -- were lost for many years. When Thanksgiving was later made a national holiday, the present November date was chosen. And the lesson the Pilgrims so painfully learned was, alas, not made a part of the holiday.

Happily, Bradford's diaries were later rediscovered. They're available today in paperback. They tell the real story of Thanksgiving -- how private property and individual initiative saved the Pilgrims.

This Thanksgiving season, one of the many things I'm thankful for is our free market system (imperfectly realized as it is). And I'm also grateful that there are increasing numbers of Americans who are learning the importance of free markets, and who are working to replace government coercion with marketplace cooperation here in America and around the world.

PS: A special thanks to long-time Advocate volunteer Cris Everett, who told us about this neglected bit of history several years ago, and who celebrates Thanksgiving on -- you guessed it -- August 9th.

-- copied from http://FreedomKeys.com/thanksgiving.htm which was copied from the Nov. 20, 1997 issue of THE LIBERATOR ONLINE at http://www.theadvocates.org/liberator/vol-02-num-21.htm

for more detailed accounts see The Great Thanksgiving Hoax at http://snipurl.com/apur The Pilgrims’ Real Thanksgiving Lesson at http://snipurl.com/av27 Thanksgiving: The Producers' Holiday at http://snipurl.com/apuv and How Private Property Saved the Pilgrims at http://snipurl.com/apuw Find general commentaries, Creating Our Own Blessings at http://snipurl.com/apuy and Whom Should We Thank at http://snipurl.com/av9x ALSO SEE: Giving Thanks for the Big Tent HERE: http://snipurl.com/apv0

This Paul Schmidt dude has gotta be a "Dittohead" as this was Rush Limbaugh's topic this afternoon.

"FReeper!!"
(To be sung to Jethro Tull's "Teacher")

Bright new day is dawning...
As we smite Big Guv'ment Hell!!
We sing, "Our Game is FReepin'...
Put Dem Lib'rals on the shelf!!"
Must teach Left a lesson...
Socialism is fer FOOLS!!
Fed'ral Power's regressin'...
Far Right must be FReedom's tool!!

Pumped up, 'gainst the Power...
Got Left on the run!!
DemRATS are frettin' fear...Haters, every one.
Our stand's the Right one...'cuz our castle is our home...
LeftWing ain't worth nuthin'...when Big Guv'ment's done!!

It's a Righteous Journey...
Lib'ral world, it loathes the FRee!!
Limbaugh is our teacher...
Truth's been spun 'gainst Tyranny!!

Hey Dan, what's yer plan?! Why's the Country red?!
Come, stand, Righteous Band...Lyin' Left is DEAD!!
Left tries to tyrannize, but Right fer FReedom fights!!
Truth's what we're looking for...Behold the Righteous Right!!

(Mudboy on Irish whistle)

Men, good FReepers taught me...
RightWing Forum's more than fun!!
Thank you, Mr. JimRob...
Fer all that you have done!!

Hey Dan, what's yer plan?! Why's Lib'ralism dead?!?
Come stand, Righteous Band...Liars, Truth they dread!!
Left tries to tyrannize, but Right fer FReedom fights!!
Defeat the Lib'ral Whore'd...Behold the Righteous Right!!

Mudboy Slim

George Washington's Original Thanksgiving Proclamation (text)
Leadership U ^ | Nov. 24, 2004 | George Washington

Posted on 11/24/2004 4:12:45 AM PST by Lindykim

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine. (signed) G. Washington

Source: The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789 A copy of the original Centinel printing is also available.

Right you are. Most of the land of modern Isreal was purchased through a central agency - mostly swamps and desert areas bought from the Effendi (fuedal Arab landowners). The land was reclaimed and then run as communal farms called Kibbutz. It is correct that this system was voluntary, but it was not always harmonious. The Kibbutzim gradually devolved central ownership to private, but the fact remains, they made it work. Communism can work, but only at the subsistence level, where everyone must depend on each other for survival. Beyond that, it is a failure.

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