“Who would cultivate the soil…if he had no…interests in the harvest?”

Founder's Quote

James Wilson

At bedtime, my wife and I have a routine where we switch kids. I put my daughter to bed while she puts my son to bed, and then we change it up each evening. The main focus of that time we spend with our kids is reading story books.

One of those stories is about a little red hen who finds some wheat and plants it, cultivates it, pulls the weeds, grinds it into flour, and bakes a delicious cake. During that whole time, the other animals in the story, the cat, mouse and dog, are never interested in the work of cultivating those plants but they do show up when the cake is ready to eat.

I was pleased that in the end the hen shares nothing and eats the cake herself. From that point on, the other animals were willing to help when chores were in order.

It’s very similar to what Abraham Lincoln said when he stated that, “I always thought the man that made the corn should eat the corn.” There were many times Lincoln stated something similar as his candidacy grew out of the “Free Soil, Free Labor” movement which was grounded (no pun) in the anti-slavery agitation leading up to his election in 1860.

This spirit of the ownership of one’s own labor and the fruits of it was strong with the Founders. The quote I reference in the title here is from James Wilson who was one of six people to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Here is an extended version of the quote:

“The right of private property seems to be founded in the nature of men and things….Exclusive property multiplies the productions of the earth, and the means of subsistence. Who would cultivate the soil, and sow the grain, if he had no peculiar interests in the harvest?” — James Wilson

Wilson was on the side of the hard working hen.