<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-3-chapter-01 -->

# Planter Independence

# Definition

The economic and social autonomy achieved by artificers who migrate to colonies with uncultivated land, where they can cultivate their own land and derive subsistence from their family's labour rather than serving customers. This independence contrasts sharply with the dependent status of artificers who must work for others in established societies, making colonial life attractive despite lower wages.

## Source Chapter

Book III, Chapter 1

## Context

Smith uses this colonial phenomenon to illustrate how economic incentives and social status interact, showing why skilled workers in new territories abandon manufacturing for agriculture when land is available, and how this preference for independence shapes economic development patterns.

## Economic Domain

General Theory

---
