In the mid-eighteenth century, nine-tenths of the colonists—and virtually all of the Native Americans—lived in the countryside. This term included all areas outside of cities, towns, and villages, from long-settled farms to deep forests. The colonies' densely populated areas were situated along the seacoast and along navigable rivers. Beyond these places were farmland and the frontier. Familiar to Native Americans as traditional hunting grounds, the wild regions both frightened and attracted immigrants from crowded European countries. Colonial pioneers set out to tame the forests of this new land and to create fields and pastures for their crops and cattle.

The Ideal of the Farm

In spite of the endless labor involved in agriculture, letters and diaries from this period are filled with expressions of fondness for life on the farm. Recent arrivals from Europe were grateful for the...