Many people may not know this, but socialism was first attempted in America in 1620. In the year 1620 the famous voyage of The Mayflower anchored off the New England shoreline. The ship set sail with 102 passengers of men, women, and children. The people on board were dissatisfied with the government and the greedy corruption of their homeland.
The people on board were of strict religious conviction, similar to the modern-day Amish. The colony was governed by a man named John Carver who died in the spring of 1621. Also on that first voyage was a man known as William Bradford, he kept a detailed journal about that first attempt to colonise the land where they came ashore.
The Puritans, or Pilgrims as they are now referred, believed that only through a communal effort could they attain enough provisions to survive in this new world. In Bradford’s journal he describes how everyone was assigned different tasks to achieve a common goal to support the whole community. In the journal, Bradford describes how dissention, apathy, and jealousy quickly began to consume the colonists.
Men became jealous that their wives were doing tasks for other men, that those who were stout and suited for heavy jobs were becoming jealous that others had easier duties, and so on. It was described in direct excerpt from Bradford’s own words, “For the young men that were able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and work for other men’s wives and children, without recompense. The strong of men had no more division of food, clothes etc., than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could, this was thought an injustice. The aged and graver men be ranked and equalized in labor and food, clothes, etc.. With the meaner and younger sort, thought it some indignant and disrespect to them. And for other 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 husbands brook it.”
Needless to say that in the first winter, between forty-five and forty-eight people perished according to historical records. After the second year of this governmental practice, and more deaths, it was decided that some radical new approach was needed if the colony was to survive. The elders of the community decided that this way of communal living was not God’s will, that there would not have been these deaths and famine and adversity and ill will toward their fellow-man.
It was decided that property rights be given to all those proportionate to each family’s needs, and that each would be responsible only for themselves. This was a huge success. Bradford wrote, “By the time harvest was come, and instead of famine, now God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many, for which they praised God. And the effect of their planting was well seen, and for all had, one way or other, pretty well to bring the year about, and some of the abler sort more industrious had to spare, and sell to others so as any general want or famine hath not been amongst them to this day.”
These lessons have been tried and failed since the time when man had the ability to convince another that it was for a greater good, that I will govern, and allocate resources equally so that all may prosper from the collective. Unfortunately for those who are subservient to those who govern there is no equality. Man is greedy by nature, it has served him well to survive all kinds of adversity, communism, and socialism exploit the greed while capitalism curbs it and keeps it in check, through the process and rights of individual liberty creating a more respectful attitude towards our fellow-man, not only for his or her achievement, but for the potential of what is achievable.
