True story as told by Wayne Green:
William Bradford: from History of Plymouth Plantation, c. 1650 from Fordham University.
Thanksgiving IIWayne is an interesting character. He founded Byte magazine and had it taken away from him. Has led an interesting life... The real story in Bradford's Words Modern History Sourcebook:
The story of the first Thanksgiving we were taught in school or via TV is just another fairy story. Yeah, the pilgrims came over on the Mayflower in 1620, they had a lousy harvest, and half of them died that winter. And then it happened again in 1622.
Their experiment wasn�t working out. The system where everything they grew, animals they hunted and fish they caught were put into a common building for all to share had resulted in most of them waiting for others to do the planting, hunting and fishing. So they starved, stealing what they could from the Indians.
In 1623 the governor of the colony, William Bradford, gave each of the surviving families their own piece of land and let them keep what they grew or caught for themselves. This resulted in a bumper crop that year, and by 1624, they were growing so much they were able to start exporting corn.
Socialism has failed in every country it�s been tried. And here in America, too.
They had the same disastrous result with the Jamestown, where less than half survived their first year.
So, Thanksgiving is mainly a celebration of the success of free enterprise, something I wish Obama and the congress would recognize. Our socialist health care system, like our socialist public school system, is the most expensive per capita of the developed countries, and is giving us piss-poor results.
Oh, by the way, I�m a descendant of John Alden and Priscilla, as I discovered in a hundred-year old genealogy I inherited.
William Bradford: from History of Plymouth Plantation, c. 1650 from Fordham University.
First harvest (1621)What he said -- true then and true now...
They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besides waterfowl there was a great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to the proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.
Private and communal farming (1623)
All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expect any. So they began to think how they might raise as much corn as they could, and obtain a better crop than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in misery. At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other thing to go on in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of land, according to the proportion of their number, for that end, only for present use (but made no division for inheritance) and ranged all boys and youth under some family. This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression.
The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato's and other ancients applauded by some of later times; and that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For the young men, that were most able and fit for labor and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could; this was thought injustice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalized in labors and victuals, clothes etc., with the meaner and younger sort, thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And for men's wives to be commanded to do service for other men, as dressing their meat, washing their clothes, etc., they deemed it a kind of slavery, neither could many husbands well brook it. Upon the point all being to have alike, and all to do alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut off those relations that God hath set amongst men, yet it did at least much diminish and take off the mutual respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have been worse if they had been men of another condition. Let none object this is men's corruption, and nothing to the course itself. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in His wisdom saw another course fitter for them.
