Governor William Bradford’s account of the story of Plymouth Plantation discusses how the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth and their leaders initially planned to have everyone own and share everything. They planned for the people to work for the common good, and believed that this would produce great happiness and satisfaction and prosperity. That was in 1620.
The result was a tremendous crop failure in the first year. Many people were hungry; many people were starving. In spite of the needs of the people and the fact that many people had already died from hunger, starvation, and disease, the following year another poor crop developed.
In 1623 Governor Bradford, seeing that the communal living was not working, said that every man would get a parcel of land for his own. He would work that land and take care of his own family. Thus, they put 2 Thessalonians 3:10 into practice. The result: People began working much more diligently than they had the previous 2 years. Men who had frequently claimed they were sick in earlier years, were eager to get to the fields. Even the women, who claimed they had too much to do in their cabins to work in the fields, now took their children to the fields with them and eagerly worked the land as a family.
That year, they had a tremendous harvest, and a tremendous Thanksgiving was celebrated in America. When socialism ceased in America, thanksgiving followed. When socialism is reinstated in America, thanksgiving will cease. ( D. James Kennedy, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born, Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1994, p. 117)