It’s a profound tragedy that American children aren’t taught the true lesson of Thanksgiving — one that reinforces the values of hard work and self-sufficiency reluctantly embraced by the Pilgrims and on which the nation they helped settle ultimately became the strongest, most prosperous on earth.
As has been well-chronicled, before landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620, the passengers while still aboard the Mayflower agreed to make their new home an early experiment in socialism, with everyone reaping the same benefits irrespective of his or her contribution. Not surprisingly, the endeavor failed and after two and a half years the colonists were on the verge of starvation when the leaders replaced the failed socialist standards with capitalism — allowing individuals to own property and benefit from the fruits of his or her labor, while also requiring that everyone work if they expected to eat.
Wrote Plymouth Gov. William Bradford:
“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.”
Translation: People work harder when they’re working for themselves, while the only ones who profit in a collectivist society are those empowered to transfer wealth from those who earned it to those who didn’t.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before that lesson was forgotten, and the “confiscation class” has grown almost unchecked ever since.
In a very real sense, the Freedom Foundation — and its many supporters — are the logical heirs to this message, and we’re determined to preserve it for future generations by targeting powerful special interests whose personal wealth increases as government grows and individual rights are diminished.
As the holiday season arrives, the Freedom Foundation is redoubling its efforts to avoid the Pilgrims’ initial mistakes and promote a more just and prosperous nation for all.
And as always, the greatest blessing for us every Thanksgiving is the friendship and support of patriots like yourself.
God bless you and yours this holiday season.
