Reply To: Life in Hallowell in 1789
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I liked how enterprising and hardworking most of the characters were. They were all striving not only to survive but make their fortunes off of their efforts. They logged, they built mills, ran taverns, had stores, they farmed, made candles, etc. It fit with my notion that there was little time for idleness if you were going to survive the long winters and feed households with lots of children. I think the attitude of work hard and success will follow is in keeping with the American dream.
When Lawhon describes how the town sprung up because of the river and how it connects them to Boston and the economy I couldn’t help but think of how world economies are still driven so much by the natural resources we extract from land and how we transport those resources. I can’t help but think of all the talk going on about Greenland and the Panama Canal etc. Times haven’t changed that much at all!