"They should set corn every man for his own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves. ... And so assigned to every family a parcel of land."

Hi boys and girls! Happy Thanksgiving.

If you're like me, then your teachers never bothered to tell you what made the first Thanksgiving possible.  They must have though making turkeys and head dresses out of construction paper was more valuable.

Just in case your teachers had the same priorities mine did, here's another video from Reason.TV to fill in one of the gaps in your education.



And here's John Stossel from several years ago with the same story.

Real Clear Politics | John Stossel | The Tragedy of the Commons

Every year around this time, schoolchildren are taught about that wonderful day when Pilgrims and Native Americans shared the fruits of the harvest. "Isn't sharing wonderful?" say the teachers.

They miss the point.

Because of sharing, the first Thanksgiving in 1623 almost didn't happen. [...]

When the Pilgrims first settled the Plymouth Colony, they organized their farm economy along communal lines. The goal was to share everything equally, work and produce.

They nearly all starved.

Why? When people can get the same return with a small amount of effort as with a large amount, most people will make little effort. Plymouth settlers faked illness rather than working the common property. Some even stole, despite their Puritan convictions. Total production was too meager to support the population, and famine resulted. Some ate rats, dogs, horses and cats. This went on for two years. [...]

The people of Plymouth moved from socialism to private farming. The results were dramatic. [...]