ABSTRACT
The history of consumption is a potentially vast field, global in scope and arguably extending back to the earliest human civilizations. The Europeans who settled North America in the seventeenth century undoubtedly depended less on the market for goods and services than do Americans. Even the earliest settlers were never totally separated from global trade and the consumption opportunities it provided. The amount of labour and skill required for complete self-sufficiency was enormous. From 1800 until the Civil War, the US economy grew in most years and material conditions gradually improved for many but far from all Americans. The nation continued to be predominantly rural and the majority of its people had only limited purchasing opportunities. Consumer goods were usually made and consumed locally, although as physical distribution systems evolved, these largely generic products travelled longer distances to market.
