THE AMERICAN CONTINENT was a horn of plenty. Great herds of animals roamed its plains and threaded through the forests. In the rivers and ocean bays, sunlight gleamed silver off the scaly fins of countless fish. The earth was rich. Plant a seed, and behind your back a tree would grow as you walked away. In the Northern states vast forests supplied the trees and timber for ships, and the fuel for factories and towns. Settlements were close together. Farms were small. Merchants traded for thick furs from the cold woods. In the busy ports the wharves were clogged with imported furniture and pottery and fine cloth from Europe and the lands of distant Asia.