ABSTRACT
It may seem strange to realize that American consumerism was initially an imitation, but such was the case historically. The colonies that ultimately became the United States had to copy consumerism from Western Europe, and there is some debate about how fast they did so. Ultimately of course the United States would become a consumer giant, a world leader, but this chapter deals with the earlier, derivative phase. A number of factors help explain why the American colonies participated in modern consumerism with a bit of delay and hesitation.
