Pilgrims - Communal or Private Property

Tom Bethell at the Hoover Institute provides some interesting information about the Pilgrims' experience in the early years of the Plymouth Colony. Initially, the community held everything in common and almost starved to death. In desperation, they parcelled land out to the various families to operate as private property. At that point the colony began to prosper. Bethell shows that

"Bradford’s history of the colony records the decision:

'At length, after much debate of things, the Governor (with the advice of
the chiefest amongst them) gave way that they should set corn every man for his
own particular, and in that regard trust to themselves; in all other things to
go in the general way as before. And so assigned to every family a parcel of
land, according to the proportion of their number.'

So the land they worked was converted into private property, which brought 'very good success.' The colonists immediately became responsible for their own actions (and those of their immediate families), not for the actions of the whole community. Bradford also suggests in his history that more than land was privatized.

The system became self-policing. Knowing that the fruits of his labor
would benefit his own family and dependents, the head of each household was
given an incentive to work harder. He could know that his additional efforts
would help specific people who depended on him. In short, the division of
property established a proportion or 'ratio' between act and consequence. Human
action is deprived of rationality without it, and work will decline sharply as a
result."

Thanks to Ilya Somin at the Volokh Conspiracy.

As in so much of history, communism failed while recognition of private property rights led to greater production. The same people worked (failed to work) under the communal system who actually worked under a system of private property. When allowed to benefit from the fruits of their labour, the Pilgrims became very productive workers. Benjamin Powell points out that the change to private property "made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been. Giving people economic incentives changed their behavior. Once the new system of property rights was in place, the women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability."

Despite its universal failure, many people advocate the imposition of communal systems in the place of our very productive economic system. They seem to assume that communism will continue to produce at the same level as the present private enterprise system but with a more equal distribution of benefits. In this they simply ignore the clear teaching of history. The Pilgrims almost starved to death under the communal system before turning to private ownership that led the colony to prosperity.

We ignore the lessons of history at our peril.