Thanksgiving

You know, you would think that by the time I was forty years old I would know the real story of Thanksgiving. Turns out that I only knew half the story. Yes, the pilgrims came on the Mayflower, and yes, they had two years of starvation conditions. And, yes, the third harvest, the harvest of 1623, there was a bounteous harvest, and they had a great feast thanking God for his providence.

You may be as surprised as I am to find out that there is more to the story, a lot more. Take a few minutes to read the article on the FEE home page today entitled "Our First Thanksgiving." It turns out that the Thanksgiving story is really a story about free enterprise, and the importance of private property ownership. Who knew? The author, Sartell Prentice, Jr., quotes passages from Governor Bradford’s History “of Plymouth Plantation” from the original manuscript. Governor Bradford was the original governor of the Plymouth colony.

Apparently, during the first two years in America, the Plymouth colony farmed the land as a collective body. Everyone had their assigned duty, and each member was directed to perform certain tasks for the good of the colony. It was a disastrous mistake. Over half the members of the colony died of starvation, and the journals indicate that at one point the food ration was three kernels of corn per day.

After the two disastrous harvests of 1621 and 1622, the Governor decided to try something different. He gave each family a plot of land to farm for their private use. You won't be surprised about the outcome. Plenty and to spare. The bounteous harvest inspired the pilgrims to have a feast to thank their God.

This Thanksgiving, let us thank our God for the blessings of this land. Let us pledge our strength and courage to uphold the rights of the individual to life, liberty and property.