In the grand scheme of things, it really hasn’t been very long since the majority of people living in the area now known as the lower 48 derived their sustenance directly from the land they lived on or environs close by. There were fewer cities and they were much smaller and less densely populated, and towns were more of a meeting place than where many people made their homes. Most folks lived on farms or larger parcels of property, and the common method of acquiring their food was to harvest or grow it or trade for it. The rule of the day was to grow what you ate and eat what you grow, and the harvest was intended to produce enough so there would be adequate food to get them through the winter. The norm was to process one’s own livestock and can or otherwise preserve one’s produce, grains and other foodstuffs. From clothing to homes, most of what they had was the result of the work of their own hands.
The know-how to do these things was passed down through the generations, not as lessons in the fields but in the examples of everyday life. At a young age, children began to earn their keep by taking on simple tasks that led to more complicated and important responsibilities as they grew. Most efforts were spent on simply staying alive and taking care of the necessities of life and maybe, if they were lucky, getting a little ahead of the game. Leisure time and shortcuts were for the wealthy and luxuries that common folk had precious little experience with.
Self-reliance wasn’t a chosen way of life, it was the way of life for these people. With no real safety nets to rescue those who didn’t or couldn’t support themselves, the future was bleak for most of those who failed to pull their weight.