Because Isaiah Thomas’s father was dead and his widowed mother very poor, he was considered the property of the town of Boston, which took on the responsibility to care for him. Because of his age and economic standing, Isaiah had no rights himself. People in colonial New England believed it was also very important for everyone to be useful and to work for themselves as well as the common good. Placing Isaiah in an apprenticeship was one way the town could inexpensively provide a home for him, while training him in a trade so that he could work to improve his own situation.