Jamestown and Virginia P2

Last week we heard about the “Starving Time” in Jamestown and the cannibalism that took place. A major reason for the “Starving Time” was Jamestown’s socialist system and the lack of private property. Simply put, the colonists in Virginia had little incentive to work hard and improve the plots of the land. Governor John Smith implemented a policy designed to combat their socialism, and it was drawn directly from the Bible declaration that “whoever would not work must not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)

He therefore placed squarely on the shoulders of every individual the necessity of being productive. The colony would provide charity for the sick, disabled, and elderly but not the able-bodied. Every citizen must work for himself; if he did not, he would receive anything. The Virginians fiercely resisted this policy, but historians affirm that “it was the best law possible for such a time and place.”

Content sourced from “The American Story the beginnings. By David Barton & Tim Barton”