| > Which pre-Columbian Indians? From what I read, all of them that were investigated. > so they were closer to a free market than any industrialized state. The Indian economies were pretty basic, as far as I can tell. They did engage in trade, but also raiding and slavery. They did not appear to have much of a conception of inalienable rights, or of individuals owning plots of land, although there was certainly the concept of tribal land. Frankly, not a whole lot is known about pre-Columbian Indian societies. Even estimates of their numbers vary by over an order of magnitude. Much of what we do know comes from random accounts and letters written by Europeans, such as how the Cheyenne lived and operated. Farming in colonial times and in the US got its start with giving away land to settlers who promised to farm it. > maybe it's worth accepting a little inefficiency to avoid famine The famines ended in the US around 1800 and never reappeared. We're doing fine. |