Productiveness is the virtue of creating the material values that life requires. The first Thanksgiving was an implicit celebration of this virtue. It was a celebration that almost didn’t occur.
The Pilgrims’ first years in America were filled with suffering. And this isn’t surprising, for land was owned and farmed in common–there was no private ownership of land in Plymouth Colony.
In his diary, the colony’s governor, William Bradford, recorded that individuals often shirked their responsibilities, yet demanded their share of the crops. The result was low production and lower morale. The harder workers got no more than the irresponsible. But then Bradford privatized the land, allowing individuals to reap what they sowed. Not surprisingly, production soared.
Privatization provided a motivation to work hard. Those who did so would benefit, rather than being forced to share the fruits of their labor with those who weren’t responsible.
Each individual has a moral responsibility to create or earn the values that his life requires. And each individual has a moral right to the values that he creates. As we feast on this day, we should remember that we are celebrating the virtue of productiveness–the creation of material values–and the private property rights that make the creation of values possible.