The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century

"A deft synthesis of secondary scholarship and original forays into account books, inventories of estates, and tax lists, The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century depicts the panorama of agriculture in the British North American colonies and the new American nation."—Robert A. Gross, Journal of American History

"When a distinguished historian writes a big survey, readers take notice. And well they should with Bushman’s latest book. . . . Built on deep knowledge and insightful readings, Bushman’s argument is powerful and convincing."—J. M. Opal, American Historical Review

"[A] richly rewarding work . . .  an ambitious, enjoyable, and compelling social and cultural history of the world of colonial farmers."—Brian Donahue, William and Mary Quarterly

“This is the only scholarly work that takes a multiregional approach to the history of agrarian life in eighteenth-century British America. It is an ambitious and elegantly written study.”—Virginia DeJohn Anderson, author of The Martyr and the Traitor: Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution

“This book is the mark of a historian who knows his craft. It is a meticulously researched and clearly written study that surely will stand the test of time for usable history.”—R. Douglas Hurt, author of Food and Agriculture during the Civil War

“This gracefully written, fast-paced narrative makes a courageous effort to place farmers at center stage, rather than on the periphery. Readers will be captivated by Bushman’s command of the subject.”—David Vaught, Texas A&M University

"Drawing on the insights of a long and distinguished career, Richard Bushman has written a notable book. The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century offers an original, highly readable account of agricultural practices and values in early America, and their legacy for later United States history."—Christopher Clark, University of Connecticut

“In this brilliant history of rural life, Richard Bushman reveals with insight and empathy the resourceful struggles by farm families to wrest security from a volatile climate and fickle market.”—Alan Taylor, author of American Revolutions: A Continental History, 1750-1804