Though the word revolution implies a violent break with the past,
there was nothing in the Revolution that transformed the
essential character or the characteristics of the American
people. The Revolution severed the ties which bound the colonies
to Great Britain; it created some new activities; some soldiers
were diverted from their former trades and occupation; but, as
the proportion of the population engaged in the war was
relatively small and the area of country affected for any length
of time was comparatively slight, it is safe to say that in
general the mass of the people remained about the same after the
war as before. The professional man was found in his same
calling; the artisan returned to his tools, if he had ever laid
them down; the shopkeeper resumed his business, if it had been
interrupted; the merchant went back to his trading; and the
farmer before the Revolution remained a farmer afterward.

The country as a whole was in relatively good condition and the
people were reasonably prosperous; at least, there was no general
distress or poverty. Suffering had existed in the regions ravaged
by war, but no section had suffered unduly or had had to bear the
burden of war during the entire period of fighting. American
products had been in demand, especially in the West India
Islands, and an illicit trade with the enemy had sprung up, so
that even during the war shippers were able to dispose of their
commodites at good prices. The Americans are commonly said to
have been an agricultural people, but it would be more correct to
say that the great majority of the people were dependent upon
extractive industries, which would include lumbering, fishing,
and even the fur trade, as well as the ordinary agricultural
pursuits. Save for a few industries, of which shipbuilding was