The True Meaning of Thanksgiving: The Birth of Private Enterprise in America

[Kevin_Kennedy]

This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, is when Americans gather with their families and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving also is a celebration of the birth of free enterprise in America.

The English Puritans, who left Great Britain and sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower in 1620, were not only escaping from religious persecution in their homeland. They also wanted to turn their back on what they viewed as the materialistic and greedy corruption of the Old World.

In Defense of Capitalism & Human Progress: The True Meaning of Thanksgiving: The Birth of Private Enterprise in America by Richard M. Ebeling

 

[Dystopia]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

I wouldn't "have" to do anything. I'd suggest you actually read before commenting.

 

[Cecilie1200]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

When was the last time a group of total strangers came to your house uninvited for Thanksgiving dinner, sat at your table, and demanded that you give them your food?

Why do you dumbasses have such a hard time differentiating between voluntary and involuntary, personal and business? Honestly. Using voluntary association with one's friends to talk about free enterprise? My GOD, you sound like a moron.

 

[Dystopia]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

When was the last time a group of total strangers came to your house uninvited for Thanksgiving dinner, sat at your table, and demanded that you give them your food?

Why do you dumbasses have such a hard time differentiating between voluntary and involuntary, personal and business? Honestly. Using voluntary association with one's friends to talk about free enterprise? My GOD, you sound like a moron.

There is a difference between invited your friends and your jump to total strangers coming to your home for a Thanksgiving dinner.

They were not and I say again not free enterprise during that time period. If they were into free enterprise, they would be receiving goods and selling goods to countries like Span and France. As we know, only and only the English were in the ports and only on the shores during that time. If I told you as a business man, and like you to show me a business man during a reenactment of the first Thanksgiving dinner. Think like a business man during the first Thanksgiving dinner, would he really think he is a free enterprise business man when he can only receive and sell with only the United Kingdom.

 

[Dystopia]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

I wouldn't "have" to do anything. I'd suggest you actually read before commenting.

Did read before I made the comment, and I stand by my comment. Really, if you were a business man during the first Thanksgiving dinner you would think of yourself as a free enterprise business man. Fine, please role play out the reaction of your fellow Thanksgiving dinner guests during the first Thanksgiving dinner your wish to start to sell to the French and the Spanish.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Private enterprise as in owning their own land and their own crops, thus leading to a plentiful supply for all to enjoy. Private ownership is an aspect of private enterprise.

 

[Dystopia]

Private enterprise as in owning their own land and their own crops, thus leading to a plentiful supply for all to enjoy. Private ownership is an aspect of private enterprise.

Well the Mayflower (the ship) went far north then it was suppose to. When they landed, the natives was not in the United Kingdom to make a land deal with the selling of their land. Nope, they came, and just used the land without permission.

In theory, the native population owned the land and the English just took it away from them. Then, they organized the land with the settlers not in money but in grants of land. Then in time, after building up the property the property could be sold. But, with the small amount of the population and the vastness of unclaimed land, property was not really that important with ownership.

If you think about the first decade (1620 – 1630), they were more like Communist then free enterprise.

 

[PoliticalChic]

This time of the year, whether in good economic times or bad, is when Americans gather with their families and friends and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together. It marks a remembrance of those early Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the uncharted ocean from Europe to make a new start in Plymouth, Massachusetts. What is less appreciated is that Thanksgiving also is a celebration of the birth of free enterprise in America.

The English Puritans, who left Great Britain and sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower in 1620, were not only escaping from religious persecution in their homeland. They also wanted to turn their back on what they viewed as the materialistic and greedy corruption of the Old World.

In Defense of Capitalism & Human Progress: The True Meaning of Thanksgiving: The Birth of Private Enterprise in America by Richard M. Ebeling

I love that article.

I posted it, I think last year, and I'm glad you posted it today.

One of the reasons we homeschool is so that my children learn to see the relationship between Thanksgiving and the essence of America.

My 5th grader studied Bradford, and that piece this year.

 

[Kevin_Kennedy]

Private enterprise as in owning their own land and their own crops, thus leading to a plentiful supply for all to enjoy. Private ownership is an aspect of private enterprise.

Well the Mayflower (the ship) went far north then it was suppose to. When they landed, the natives was not in the United Kingdom to make a land deal with the selling of their land. Nope, they came, and just used the land without permission.

In theory, the native population owned the land and the English just took it away from them. Then, they organized the land with the settlers not in money but in grants of land. Then in time, after building up the property the property could be sold. But, with the small amount of the population and the vastness of unclaimed land, property was not really that important with ownership.

If you think about the first decade (1620 – 1630), they were more like Communist then free enterprise.

We could certainly discuss injustices toward Native Americans, but that's not what this thread is about. This is about how private property rights led to abundance, whereas communal property led to scarcity, hunger, and death. You're trying to look at anything but what this article focuses on and say it wasn't private enterprise, when private property is the backbone of private enterprise.

 

[Paulie]

God forbid we mention something that hits close to home like a holiday, and then dare to mix in something about 'free enterprise'.

 

[catzmeow]

In Defense of Capitalism & Human Progress: The True Meaning of Thanksgiving: The Birth of Private Enterprise in America by Richard M. Ebeling

And...the rewriting of American history continues.

 

[Ravi]

I always thought Thanksgiving was a throwback to pagan harvest festivals.

 

[Shogun]

Private enterprise as in owning their own land and their own crops, thus leading to a plentiful supply for all to enjoy. Private ownership is an aspect of private enterprise.

Well the Mayflower (the ship) went far north then it was suppose to. When they landed, the natives was not in the United Kingdom to make a land deal with the selling of their land. Nope, they came, and just used the land without permission.

In theory, the native population owned the land and the English just took it away from them. Then, they organized the land with the settlers not in money but in grants of land. Then in time, after building up the property the property could be sold. But, with the small amount of the population and the vastness of unclaimed land, property was not really that important with ownership.

If you think about the first decade (1620 – 1630), they were more like Communist then free enterprise.

We could certainly discuss injustices toward Native Americans, but that's not what this thread is about. This is about how private property rights led to abundance, whereas communal property led to scarcity, hunger, and death. You're trying to look at anything but what this article focuses on and say it wasn't private enterprise, when private property is the backbone of private enterprise.

um.. what the hell is NOT COMMUNAL about thanksgiving dinner?

the logic of the above article is pretty far out there. Hell, nothing says free market capitalism like.. uh.. sharing the bounty.

weird.

 

[catzmeow]

Wasn't Thanksgiving basically a precursor to armed robbery?

"Thanks for all the corn. Now, we'll be taking that land."

So, in a sense, Shogun, perhaps it really WAS kind of a template for capitalism.

"All your stuff are belong to us. But you can buy it back...for a price."

 

[PoliticalChic]

Private enterprise as in owning their own land and their own crops, thus leading to a plentiful supply for all to enjoy. Private ownership is an aspect of private enterprise.

And a component is the work ethic, exemplified by the famous declaration of John Smith in Jamestown:
'Upon his return, he found the settlement in upheaval over its leadership. He was eventually elected president of the local council in September 1608. After the starvation death of so many of the settlers, Smith immediately instituted a policy of discipline, encouraging farming with a famous admonishment: "He who does not work, will not eat." '

 

[CurveLight]

Pretty sloppy article. The problem with capitalism is it claims hard workers are rewarded while slackers are punished by virtue of being lazy. This is overly simplistic and active abhorrent ignorance. Communism and Socialism suck just as much but for different reasons. The winners write history and ebeling's fallacy is not realizing capitalism has given him the podium but it is not by good virtue, only power.

 

[catzmeow]

And a component is the work ethic, exemplified by the famous declaration of John Smith in Jamestown:
'Upon his return, he found the settlement in upheaval over its leadership. He was eventually elected president of the local council in September 1608. After the starvation death of so many of the settlers, Smith immediately instituted a policy of discipline, encouraging farming with a famous admonishment: "He who does not work, will not eat." '

Except the settlement utilized communalism.

Economics fail.

 

[Cecilie1200]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

When was the last time a group of total strangers came to your house uninvited for Thanksgiving dinner, sat at your table, and demanded that you give them your food?

Why do you dumbasses have such a hard time differentiating between voluntary and involuntary, personal and business? Honestly. Using voluntary association with one's friends to talk about free enterprise? My GOD, you sound like a moron.

There is a difference between invited your friends and your jump to total strangers coming to your home for a Thanksgiving dinner.

Yeah, dumbass, that's because free enterprise is related to BUSINESS, aka relations with STRANGERS, not friends and family. The problem with communism is that it expects human beings to treat strangers the way they would voluntarily treat the people they care about. The problem with socialism, such as the crazy mass of social programs we have in this country, is that it expects people to tolerate BEING FORCED to treat strangers the way they voluntarily treat the people they care about.

They were not and I say again not free enterprise during that time period. If they were into free enterprise, they would be receiving goods and selling goods to countries like Span and France. As we know, only and only the English were in the ports and only on the shores during that time. If I told you as a business man, and like you to show me a business man during a reenactment of the first Thanksgiving dinner. Think like a business man during the first Thanksgiving dinner, would he really think he is a free enterprise business man when he can only receive and sell with only the United Kingdom.

Did you READ the article, Mensa Boy? Do you have any historical perspective at all? They were converted to free enterprise by a graphic and fatal demonstration of how frigging STUPID communism is. They did eventually begin trading with other countries, but initially, they only had the capacity to trade with each other, OBVIOUSLY. They were POOR, fool. They didn't have enough of value at that time to make it worth the sea voyages necessary to trade with other countries.

I'm amazed. I wouldn't have though you could sound any more moronic than your first post did, but I stand corrected.

 

[Cecilie1200]

When was the last time you invited your friends over for a Thanksgiving dinner and you charged your friends for a meal? Well, if it is free enterprise, you would have to charge them a fee as free enterprise does not work without the transfer of wealth in the form of currency.

I wouldn't "have" to do anything. I'd suggest you actually read before commenting.

Did read before I made the comment, and I stand by my comment. Really, if you were a business man during the first Thanksgiving dinner you would think of yourself as a free enterprise business man. Fine, please role play out the reaction of your fellow Thanksgiving dinner guests during the first Thanksgiving dinner your wish to start to sell to the French and the Spanish.

The first Thanksgiving dinner wasn't business, numbfuck. It was a PARTY. Celebration. Look it up, and then get someone with some brain cells to proofread your posts before you waste our time with your ignorant drivel.