John Stossel on the Economic Lesson That Nearly Killed the Pilgrims

Before the Pilgrims were able to hold the first
Thanksgiving, they nearly starved. Although they had inherited
ideas about individualism and property from the English and Dutch
trading empires, they tried communism when they arrived in the New
World. They decreed that each family would get an equal share of
food, no matter how much work they did.

The results were disastrous. Gov. William Bradford wrote, “Much
was stolen both by night and day.” The same plan in Jamestown
contributed to starvation, cannibalism, and death of half the
population. So Bradford decreed that families should instead
farm private plots. That quickly ended the
suffering. Bradford wrote that people now “went willingly into the
field.” Soon, there was so much food that the Pilgrims and Indians
could celebrate Thanksgiving.

There’s nothing like competition and self-interest to bring out
the best in people, writes John Stossel. This holiday season, give
thanks for property rights and hope that your family will never
have to relearn the economic lesson that nearly killed the
Pilgrims.

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