Even in the, I would say, late 1700s, early 1800s, the lifestyle of Americans was better than many Europeans staring at a living. They lived generally in close-knit small communities where everyone depended on each other. Because there was no real accumulation of wealth, they were not hierarchical rankings in society. There was no one who was more, to a more authority than anyone else who could impose their will.
Journalist and author Sebastian Junger talks about his book Tribe with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Junger explores the human need to be needed and the challenges facing many individuals in modern society who struggle to connect with others. His studies of communal connection include soldiers in a small combat unit and American Indian society in the nineteenth century.