How the Pilgrims became capitalists

This month children across the US will dress up as Pilgrims and Native Americans to honor Squanto, an Abenaki chief, who taught the Europeans to plant maize and kept them from starving. But here is the rest of the story. 

The Pilgrims had first sailed to the Dutch Republic to escape persecution in England. They remained there ten years but weren’t happy. They refused to learn the Dutch language because they wanted their children to retain their English culture. Lacking language and work skills (They had been farmers in England) limited them to labor in textile mills for what they considered low wages. But their children learned the Dutch language and absorbed Dutch culture. So, they set sail for the New World.

The natives helped the Pilgrims survive their first year, but food was still scarce because they had agreed to a communal form of government in which all land was owned in common. They worked together on planting and harvesting crops while the leadership distributed the produce according to need. But the pilgrims remained in danger of starvation for years because the harvests were small and "much was stolen both by night and day, before it became scarce eatable." Afterwards, Governor Bradford wrote in his History of Plymouth Plantation that the people didn’t like the communal living Plato had preached and having those of unequal abilities treated as equals. In his old English, he complained of the problem of free riders, or laziness:  

“The experience that was had in this commone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos and other ancients, applauded by some of later times; that the taking away of propertie, and bringing in communitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much imployment that would have been to their benefite and comforte. For the yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour and servise did repine that they should spend their time and streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, without any recompence.

“The strong, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails [food] and cloaths, then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter the other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalised in labours, and victails, cloaths, etc., with the meaner and yonger sorte, thought it some indignite and disrespect unto them. And for men’s wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, washing their cloaths, etc., they deemd it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it. Upon the poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike, they thought themselves in the like condition, and one as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did at least much diminish and take of the mutuall respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have bene worse if they had been men of another condition. Let one objecte this is men’s corruption, and nothing to the course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in his wisdome saw another course fiter for them.

“All ther victails were spente, and they were only to rest on Gods providence; at night not many times knowing when to have a bitt of any thing ye next day. And so, as one well observed, had need to pray that God would give them their dayly brade, above all people in ye world….”

So, two year later in 1623 they gave up their communitarianism in favor of capitalism: 

“All this while no supply was heard of, neither knew they when they might expecte any. So they begane to thinke how they might raise as much corne [maize’ as they could, and obtaine a beter crop then they had done, that they might not still thus languish in miserie. At length, after much debate of things, the Govr [Governor] (with the advise of the cheefest amongest them) gave way that they should set corve [labor] every man for his owne perticuler, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to goe on in the generall way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcell of land, according to the proportion of their number for that end, only for present use (but made no devission for inheritance), and ranged all boys and youth under some familie.

“This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means the Govr or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente. The women now wente willingly into the feild, and tooke their litle-ons with them to set corne, which before would aledg weaknes, and inabilitie; whom to have compelled would have bene thought great tiranie and oppression.

“By this time harvest was come, and in stead of famine, now God gave them plentie, and ye face of things was changed, to ye rejoysing of ye harts of many, for which they blessed God. And ye effect of their particuler planting was well seene, for all had, one way and other, pretty well to bring ye year aboute, and some of ye abler sorte and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others, so as any generall wante or famine hath not been amongst them since to this day.””

The harvest of 1623 arrived with abundance undreamed of by the pilgrims. What changed? Tired of the starvation, corruption and crime, Bradford tried a “new” method of organizing production on the farm: he abandoned the command economy, distributed the land to individuals and families and informed them they could eat only what they grew. 

Socialism impoverished the Pilgrims for two years as it has every group that has attempted it since. Only capitalism fits human nature and lifts people out of starvation.