Remember, the original Plymouth colonists were socialists, with food and other supplies held in common and distributed as needed and as determined by the colonies leaders.
So, essentially, working harder got one nothing. Few men worked harder, and few women worked harder to process the foods and fruits of the men's labor.
Why should they? Harder work, more work, less work, it all remained the same. One did not get more if one worked hard. Others could work as little as possible and still get their "Fair Share" of the harvest, the hunt, or whatever.
There was no incentive to work harder, as there was no way to get ahead.
And that is the reason the colony was near starvation....and why they were so thankful for the help of the "Indians" that led to what we consider to be the first Thanksgiving. Of course, removal of the whole commune bit helped as well. Allowing people to hold their own supplies allowed them to actually gain from their hard(er) labor. Which made for a much more prosperous colony.
But without the failure that the socialist model caused, there would have been no reason for the thanks. And no reason to thank the Natives whose help made them prosperous.
So, essentially, working harder got one nothing. Few men worked harder, and few women worked harder to process the foods and fruits of the men's labor.
Why should they? Harder work, more work, less work, it all remained the same. One did not get more if one worked hard. Others could work as little as possible and still get their "Fair Share" of the harvest, the hunt, or whatever.
There was no incentive to work harder, as there was no way to get ahead.
And that is the reason the colony was near starvation....and why they were so thankful for the help of the "Indians" that led to what we consider to be the first Thanksgiving. Of course, removal of the whole commune bit helped as well. Allowing people to hold their own supplies allowed them to actually gain from their hard(er) labor. Which made for a much more prosperous colony.
But without the failure that the socialist model caused, there would have been no reason for the thanks. And no reason to thank the Natives whose help made them prosperous.
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