Before the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and Venezuela, socialism was tried here on American soil and utterly failed. The Pilgrims, who established the first permanent English settlement in New England in the fall of 1620, attempted a socialist style of living at first. They disbanded it, however, when it became obvious their community could not survive with such a system.
Socialism Was Forced on Them
The Pilgrim’s journey to America was funded by a group of venture capitalists who provided the ship and supplies for their journey to the New World. In return, the Pilgrims agreed to live communally until the debt, including interest, was paid. Everyone would receive the same recompense for their work, and everything above their basic necessities would go into a common fund they would use to pay their creditors.
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In other words, there was no economic inequality. Income produced by farming, fishing and fur trading was distributed and evenly divided among members of the community. They were all equal with only one economic class. They had what modern politicians call “equity,” a guaranteed equal outcome.
William Bradford, the longtime governor of Plymouth, told of the challenges of this socialist system and how it almost destroyed their community (Hyatt, “Pilgrims and Patriots,” 36-38).
4 Hard Lessons the Pilgrims Learned About Socialism
1. Socialism destroys initiative. Under this socialist system, everyone received the same recompense for their work. No matter how hard, or how little, they worked, everyone received the same income. With no reward tied to their labor, they were left with no initiative, and everyone put forth their least effort.
Why work and dream when you are trapped in a system that mandates an equal outcome for everyone? This socialist system destroyed initiative and nearly destroyed the Pilgrim community.
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