THE REAL THANKSGIVING ( FROM NOV'05)

Thanksgiving was not about the Pilgrims embracing diversity and thanking the Indians (otherwise known as Native Americans) for helping them survive. The celebration was about thanking God for the abundance which ultimately resulted from a move away from socialism ( imposed on them by the Colony’s Sponsors) to free market capitalism.

As governor William Bradford commented on the dreadful conditions of 1622:

" . . . the young men . . . did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong . . . had not more in division . . . 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 . . . thought it some indignity and disrespect unto them. And the 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.""For this community of property (so far as it went) was found to breed much confusion and discontentment and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort . . . all being to have alike, and all to do alike . . . 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."

In the Spring of 1623, they moved away from Socialism and embraced the incentives of Private Property and Capitalism:

"All their victuals were spent . . . 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 . . . the Governor (with the advice of the chiefest among them) gave way that 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 . . . "

"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."

Thanksgiving is therefore about freedom, private property and the unrestrained ability to worship and show thanksgiving.

A RELIGIOUS THANKSGIVING

(reprint from Nov '06)
George Washington certainly felt that the celebration of Thanksgiving could not be divorced from any religious connotation, as indicated in the following Thanksgiving Day proclamation:

"It is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favors."

Although certainly not as revered as the Birth of Christ, it is as much a religious holiday as Christmas, Easter or Passover. Unfortunately this aspect of Thanksgiving has been downplayed in our schools and replaced with teachings about tolerance and ethnic diversity. They have been so successful at this there is no wonder that when it comes time to talk about Thanksgiving in the classroom, virtually no one opposes. This is because the celebration has become completely divorced from its true meaning, and hence is uncontroversial to the secularists.

They have not been so successful with Christmas, however the attempts to divorce this holiday from all historical meaning are well underway. We are seeing 'Christmas' replaced with 'Holiday.' It is done in the name of tolerance and diversity awareness.

It was in 1789 that George Washington gave the above Thanksgiving Day Proclamation. By 1989 its celebration has already lost much of its true meaning as taught in the schools and celebrated by many. I wonder what will be the fate of Christmas in the year 2089?

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT AMERICA

In the book "What's So Great About America" Dinesh D'Souza points out that the three truly western institutions of science, democracy, and capitalism are responsible for the hegemony of western culture.

This blog primarily has a focus on science and economics (in sorts a study of capitalism), which certainly are influenced by government. In light of this and the upcoming Thanksgiving Day holiday (which is a celebration of the triumph of providence, capitalism, and agriculture) the next few series of entries will carry this theme- taking a brief rest of the previous focus on organic foods.