When jim burden said,"there was nothing but land:not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made,"he meant

His idea is that the land is the first step in forming a country.is having land which people can develop and make into something usable and worthwhile. The land and land ownership are the first signs of success in most societies; it was especially true in the Plains States and continues to be true today. The land and what we do with it are important.