First published 2015
Morris opens by contrasting two types of land seekers: wealthy men who buy improved properties wherever they choose, and poor farmers who must focus simply on acquisition. Rich buyers can purchase other people's improvements and spend freely on embellishments. Their primary goal is to improve and beautify what they own. Poor farmers think only of getting land in the first place. Morris notes that today's wealthy landowners once shared these same basic aspirations. Now their ambition has shifted to spending rather than acquiring. Since poverty persists, crowds of people still dream of land ownership just as successful farmers once did. Many deserve the same opportunities their predecessors achieved. These aspiring farmers reject commerce, trade, manufacturing, and political office seeking. They direct their attention purely toward agriculture and obtaining farmland.
Genres: american, agriculture, non-fiction, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: informative, thought-provoking
Tropes: achieving-the-dream, self-reliance
Period: 19th-Century
362 pages · Hardcover · Sagwan Press