Thanksgiving will be held tomorrow in the United States. Thanksgiving is the American version of the harvest festival, celebrating the bounty of the earth and preparing for the coming winter. Our vacation’s history dates back to the documented gathering of English Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoag tribe in 1621 in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The Pilgrims had emigrated from England the previous year to escape religious persecution. After a perilous journey across the Atlantic, the Pilgrims landed in America. First, they landed in what is now Provincetown. The sandy soil was not ideal for farming, so they boarded the Mayflower again and made the (relatively) short journey across Massachusetts Bay, landing in Plymouth. The first winter was the worst. Between scurvy from the long voyage and the harsh Massachusetts winter, half of the colonists never saw spring.
The following year was more peaceful, but life was still difficult for the pilgrims. Agrarian societies are not an ideal way of life. It’s hard work all day long, and many things depend on the weather. I grew up in a small town right next to Plymouth. Weather is more unpredictable than anything else. However, they successfully harvested the crop that year. As is the tradition of most peoples around the world, after the harvest, we gathered together to give thanks and share the bounty.
The tradition of the Harvest Festival continues and is formalized as this Thanksgiving holiday. Of course, hunger remains a problem. There are many regulations that should be removed to facilitate access to fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods. For example, sell-by dates lead to significant waste. Subsidies on corn and tariffs on sugar result in the heavy use of unhealthy additives. Food price supports result in unnaturally high prices. Local government regulations often prevent charities from distributing and providing food. Relaxing these regulations will help increase access to food, lower food prices, and reduce food waste.
In a recent EconLog post, Daniel Smith discussed how the FDA was used as a weapon against whiskey manufacturers. Daniel quotes Jack High and Clayton Coppin in his story. These same authors have also written a book, The Politics of Purity, which takes a broader look at the issue, including the food chain (thanks to Econlib editor Pat Lynch for introducing me to this book).
On a day when we celebrate how much we have, too many of us go without. I don’t want to minimize their suffering, and I don’t want to minimize the suffering of people around the world who are still living at or near subsistence level. The fight against hunger is not over yet. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate major progress against hunger.
The seasons have changed because food insecurity is very rarely an immediate concern. As a result, Thanksgiving has become a day to celebrate one’s blessings. Millions of Americans will be traveling across the country to see friends, loved ones, and family. We celebrate extraordinary abundance. Where we live, less than 2% of the workforce needs to be employed in agriculture to provide the food we need. When droughts or other conditions occur that might have previously caused famine, we can import food from other parts of the country and other parts of the world to feed those who were unable to eat because their crops were lost. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, less than 2.5% of Americans die from malnutrition. We celebrate these blessings.
To everyone who is traveling, I wish you safe travels and a safe return home. May you all have fun with your loved ones wherever you are in the world. And may you all enjoy the peace and comfort that comes from the abundance we share and create.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
[1] A note on the data from the source: “Due to the high uncertainty at very low levels of undernutrition, FAO reports all values below 2.5% as ‘<2.5%.'"
