The first Thanksgiving was born of a radical idea that came about because the pilgrims saw that collectivism was not working, fostering resentment and an unwillingness to put in the time because they weren't rewarded for hard work. Hard work wasn't a virtue, and caring about tasks wasn't valued. This led to a harsh winter, where many nearly starved to death. The pilgrims then introduced privatization, private property, and everyone got the same parcel of land, which incentivized industriousness and led to a successful harvest. [... more]