ABSTRACT
IN THEIR HOMELANDS, MANY OF THE Europeans who came to North America had been living in towns, working as craftspeople, shopkeepers, and laborers. In the colonies, most of them became farmers. For some, this was why they had come to the New World: they wanted to own land and to support their families on it. In the early decades of the colonies, too, there was little opportunity to practice their former trades. It took time for towns to develop and for food production to reach a level at which some people in the community could be spared for other work. One of the greatest challenges early colonists and pioneers faced was getting enough food—and making sure it lasted through the winter.
