Posted on 03/21/2016 10:11:48 AM PDT by EveningStar
Was America once socialist? Surprisingly, yes. The early settlers who arrived at Plymouth and Jamestown in the early 1600s experimented with socialist communes. Did it work? History professor Larry Schweikart of the University of Dayton shares the fascinating story.
(Excerpt) Read more at prageru.com ...
Well, you can read Rush Limbaugh’s first Children’s Book, and he also tells the true story of the Pilgrims.
PARENTS: YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT BEING TOLD THIS STORY.
At last, nice to meet you LS
In this household it is common knowledge that America was first beset with Socialism.
As a child the old cartoon below was seen a number of times on tee-vee. And growing up in the 1950s and 60s do remember my elders fighting in WWII, Koren wars and why
Listening to Rush every year as he tells the story of the first Thanksgiving is still an ongoing tradition.
These truths are no longer taught in school. Such is our loss. WTP thank you for the efforts made to bring back our history and bringing this to the front and center
The following links have been posted on FR in the past; including them now to show only how far off the beaten path we have wandered.
MAKE MINE FREEDOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH4j5NiJAiE
Rush Limbaugh on our First Thanksgiving
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2011/11/23/the_real_story_of_thanksgiving
Good to see you aboard.
ES-thanks for posting
PING
I have read William Bradford’s diary, and know without a shadow of a doubt that what LS is talking about took place in Plymouth Colony. LS is a great historian (”A Patriot’s History of the United States) and knows whereof he speaks.
Dittos. Great video, Professor! In your case, brevity is the soul of teaching large concepts with succinct presentation. I’m sending the link to my middle-school grandson.
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Thankfully, when, in 1787 the U. S. Constitution was framed, it allowed for freedom for individuals and demanded limitations on government power, making it possible for a free people to "pursue happiness" in their own way. The following essay deals with the wonderful results of that miraculous decision.
"Agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and navigation, the four pillars of our prosperity, are the most thriving when left most free to individual enterprise." - Thomas Jefferson
"The enviable condition of the people of the United States is often too much ascribed to the physical advantages of their soil & climate .... But a just estimate of the happiness of our country will never overlook what belongs to the fertile activity of a free people and the benign influence of a responsible government." - James Madison
America's Constitution did not mention freedom of enterprise per se, but it did set up a system of laws to secure individual liberty and freedom of choice in keeping with Creator-endowed natural rights. Out of these, free enterprise flourished naturally. Even though the words "free enterprise' are not in the Constitution, the concept was uppermost in the minds of the Founders, typified by the remarks of Jefferson and Madison as quoted above. Already, in 1787, Americans were enjoying the rewards of individual enterprise and free markets. Their dedication was to securing that freedom for posterity.
The learned men drafting America's Constitution understood history - mankind's struggle against poverty and government oppression. And they had studied the ideas of the great thinkers and philosophers. They were familiar with the near starvation of the early Jamestown settlers under a communal production and distribution system and Governor Bradford's diary account of how all benefited after agreement that each family could do as it wished with the fruits of its own labors. Later, in 1776, Adam Smith's INQUIRY INTO THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF THE WEALTH OF NATIONS and Say's POLITICAL ECONOMY had come at just the right time and were perfectly compatible with the Founders' own passion for individual liberty. Jefferson said these were the best books to be had for forming governments based on principles of freedom. They saw a free market economy as the natural result of their ideal of liberty. They feared concentrations of power and the coercion that planners can use in planning other peoples lives; and they valued freedom of choice and acceptance of responsibility of the consequences of such choice as being the very essence of liberty. They envisioned a large and prosperous republic of free people, unhampered by government interference.
The Founders believed the American people, possessors of deeply rooted character and values, could prosper if left free to:
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Such a free market economy was, to them, the natural result of liberty, carried out in the economic dimension of life. Their philosophy tended to enlarge individual freedom - not to restrict or diminish the individual's right to make choices and to succeed or fail based on those choices. The economic role of their Constitutional government was simply to secure rights and encourage commerce. Through the Constitution, they granted their government some very limited powers to:
Adam Smith called it "the system of natural liberty." James Madison referred to it as "the benign influence of a responsible government." Others have called it the free enterprise system. By whatever name it is called, the economic system envisioned by the Founders and encouraged by the Constitution allowed individual enterprise to flourish and triggered the greatest explosion of economic progress in all of history. Americans became the first people truly to realize the economic dimension of liberty.
The Miracle of America
from
axes and hoes to high technology;
log cabins to air-conditioned condos;
horsedrawn wagons to autos, planes, and rockets;
scarcity to abundance; &
from tyrannical government rule to individual liberty
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
Most of our history books don’t tell us that, in the beginning, the pilgrims established a communal economic system. Each was to produce according to his ability and contribute his production to a common storehouse from which each was to draw according to his need.
The assurance that they would be fed from the common store, regardless of their contribution to it, had a peculiarly disabling effect on the colonists. Taking property away from some and giving it to others bred discontent and retarded employment. Human nature was the same then as now, and before long, there were more consumers than there were producers, and the pilgrims were near starvation. Governor Bradford, his advisors, and the colonists agreed that in order to increase their crops, each family would be allowed to do as it pleased with whatever it produced. In other words, a free market system was established. In Governor Bradford’s own words:
“This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne was planted than other waise would have bene by any means ye Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente. The women now wente willingly into ye field, and tooke their little-ons with them to set corne, which before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to have compelled would have bene though great tiranie and oppression. . . . By this time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed. . . . and some of ye abler sort and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others, so as any generall wante or famine hath not been amongst them since this day . . . .” (Wm. Bradford, “Of Plimoth Plantation,” original manuscript, Wright & Potter, Boston, 1901)
Those who, today, favor central government planning, common ownership and redistribution of the earnings of others are advocating a system that Americans tried and rejected over 350 years ago. Their wisdom gave birth to the great American miracle!
Are we as wise today?
You Can Do Something About This!
(This message originally published in the mid-1980’s by Stedman Corporation’s Government Affairs & Free Enterprise Education Program – a former NC textile firm. )
Let me share something ...
Years ago guests from the Soviet Union were staying for dinner at my home. One of the older women had been a member of the Communist Party in the former USSR - which was an honor and a sought after position.
She wanted to know how we (Americans) came up with what we charged for commercial goods. I tried to explain that every person or company charges what they wanted - - and threw in a few things about the invisible hand, supply and demand etc... She didn't get it - it didn't make any sense to her. Wish you had been there LS... But here's the funny part: When asked about pricing in the USSR she explained they took a Sears catalog and translated the dollar prices into rubles. No accounting for labor cost or resources or anything that might change the cost... just a translation.
Yes that was the most famous and probably most influential tavern re the Revolutionary war. It was not the only tavern involved in our Revolutionary war.
The-colonial-taverns were the crucibles of the American-revolution.
Alcohol, bars, and innovation have a storied relationship. Whether it’s the infamous Pet Rock, which Gary Dahl conceived while drinking with friends, or the idea behind A Few Good Men, which Aaron Sorkin thought up while bartending at the Palace Theater, alcohol has infused some of the most famous and infamous aspects of American life. However, to truly comprehend the roles alcohol, and more specifically bars, have played in America’s history, one must harken back to the Colonial era when taverns, as they were then called, helped shape American history.
While alcohol was a prominent fixture in Colonial life, oftentimes the location where one consumed said alcohol was equally as relevant. Public houses, and more specifically taverns, played an especially important role — they weren’t simply places to drink. Rather, they served as a venue to meet like-minded individuals, and functioned as clearinghouses and test beds of revolutionary ideas. As the colonies took shape, taverns became central locations for several aspects of colonial life. According to the U.S. Postal Service, early colonists adopted a practice used frequently in Europe and established taverns as a place to collect and distribute mail sent from overseas. In addition, according to the Gettysburg Historical Journal, taverns became a “means of direction for travelers, as well as settings where they could eat, drink, be entertained, and spend the night.” Taverns were also “utilized as meeting places for assemblies and courts” and became a central location for discussion and debate. In taverns across the colonies, literate patriots drank and read the news of the day aloud to their fellow revelers, thereby stoking revolutionary fervor. The network of taverns not only provided travelers with a place to rest and enjoy a beverage, but also a place to bring news from other colonies, and promulgate ideas from the likes of Thomas Paine, James Chalmers, and Thomas Jefferson.
However, arguably the taverns’ most important role in society (and American history) is the role they played in the beginning of the Revolutionary War. As anger spread throughout the colonies, many took to the tavern to discuss, argue, and debate what needed to be done. One location in particular, Boston’s Green Dragon Tavern (or as Daniel Webster put it “the Headquarters of the Revolution”) played host to the infamous “Sons Of Liberty” who, presumably after a couple of pints of spruce beer or molasses-infused porters, plotted the “Boston Tea Party.” It’s not hard to imagine why a couple of ales could have played a role in nudging along the idea of dressing like a Native American and dumping some of the East India Company’s finest tea into Boston Harbor.
The implications of the tavern go beyond just the spread of ideas. Two of our nation’s most significant institutions, the Freemasons and the United States Marine Corps, trace their origin back to the same colonial taphouse. According to historical records, the Tun Tavern in Philadelphia hosted the first meetings of St. John’s Lodge No. 1 (the first American lodge of the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Temple). On November 10th, 1775, the tavern also became the birthplace of the United States Marine Corps. Historically, the tavern was a popular destination for military recruitment, with Ben Franklin recruiting for the Pennsylvania Militia there in 1756. Eventually, the tavern would play host to Washington, Jefferson, and the First Continental Congress, who would task the tavern’s owner, Samuel Nicholas, “to raise the first two battalions of Marines” out of the tavern’s guests (although some speculate this occurred at another tavern owned by the Nicholas family, the “Conestoga Waggon [sic]”). The USMC still commemorates November 10th annually, with Marines everywhere raising a glass in honor of the Tun Tavern.
After the war, the concept of the tavern persisted, but waves of immigration, changes in drinking habits, and new advances in communication and publishing obviated the role of the tavern as a central location in society. However, if you wish to recreate that tavern spirit, many are preserved as historic locations, and replicas have cropped up across the former colonies. Furthermore, thanks to some enterprising modern breweries seeking to recreate that revolutionary spirit, we might finally have the opportunity to try some of the historic ales that once graced the taps of the Green Dragon and other colonial taverns. Yards Brewing Company, a Philadelphia-based brewery, is attempting to recreate a few of the recipes our forefathers left behind. In their “Ales of the Revolution” series, Yards has set out to recreate Thomas Jefferson’s Tavern Ale, Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce, and General Washington’s Tavern Porter. Ranging in alcohol content from five-to-eight percent ABV, these recipes attempt to maintain authenticity by using similar ingredients and historic recipes compiled straight from the records of Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington. Whether or not they’re actually accurate is anyone’s guess, thanks to inconsistencies in labeling and recipes on the part of our forebears.
While the authenticity of these beers is up for debate, the role of the tavern in Colonial America is not. The next time you’re in a bar with friends, talking about what you may think is nothing in particular, remember the impact and significance that alcohol and taverns have had on American society — maybe you too can come up with something revolutionary.
Salvatore Colleluori is a political writer by day and a homebrewer and beer enthusiast by night. He holds a degree in Political Science from the George Washington University and enjoys reading about alcohol, history, and foreign relations. He is also an avid music lover, specifically jazz and the Grateful Dead.
http://warontherocks.com/2015/04/the-colonial-tavern-crucible-of-the-american-revolution/
Many of the Masonic Lodges in Mass were founded in Taverns after 1746 when the Grand Lodge was founded.
What could be better than doing some ritual and conspiring against the Crown and then going down stairs and getting hammered. History dictates that was the Massachusetts way, two hundred years ago.
BFL
Yes, I repeat a lot of Rush’s first Thanksgiving in “48 Liberal Lies”-—with sources, of course.
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“What could be better than doing some ritual and conspiring against the Crown and then going down stairs and getting hammered. History dictates that was the Massachusetts way, two hundred years ago.”
The only thing would be one of my ancestors hosting the meeting, selling the ale and food.
We need more citizen historians challenging the progressives dominance of history in easy to understand ways.
If we don't put an end to the false history that the statists have constructed over the last 100+ years, America is finished.
"He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past" - George Orwell (No conservative, BTW)
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