On this Day in American History. . . November 19

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

1620 The Mayflower reaches Cape Cod & explores the coast: Once the colony was established, they began with a communal system in place.  The utopian-style system (today we call it socialism) failed, and left many of the colonists dead from starvation.  When the style of political system was changed to a free market where the Pilgrims could keep what they grew, rather than turn them in to a communal storage, and after learning techniques and about new food sources from the Indians, to celebrate they held the first Thanksgiving.

1805 Lewis & Clark expedition reaches the Pacific Ocean: After purchasing the Louisiana Territory, Thomas Jefferson ordered The Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery Expedition) which spanned from May 1804 to September 1806.  This was the first American expedition to cross what is now the western portion of the United States, and on this day in 1805 they reached the Pacific Ocean in an area we now know as Fort Clatsop in the State of Oregon.

1985 US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for first time: The relationship eventually led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the communist regime in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union, USSR).  Reagan's resolve and demand that Mr. Gorbachev "take down this wall" began an avalanche of change, and created a new era for Europe, and the world, that would hopefully stand the test of time.  As Russia and her neighbors have sought to forget their socialist past, however, in the United States a new generation of Democrats have worked to renew and complete the Marxist plan of the liberal left progressives that began over a hundred years ago.  In today's society, most young people do not see the danger of communism, or socialism.  One would hope that Ronald Reagan's achievements against communism would not go in vain.  That is where we must step in to educate and advocate.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary