Although comparatively few people receive their professional training through apprenticeships today, they were the primary way for individuals to learn a craft or trade during colonial times. The colonists brought the apprenticeship model with them from England. In this model, there were three levels of expertise: Apprentices were incipient craftspeople completing an initial period of training under a master. After completing their apprenticeships, they gained the status of journeymen. As the name suggests, journeymen traveled from place to place, working for various employers in their chosen field while attempting to amass the necessary funds to open their own place of business. This process could take years, and not all journeymen succeeded. If they managed to set up shop for themselves, they were acknowledged as masters of their craft.

Forbes’s novel depicts characters at each level of this model. Johnny Tremain and two other boys named Dove and Dusty are apprentice silversmiths undergoing a seven-year period of training under Mr. Lapham. Mr. Tweedie, a journeyman, moves from Baltimore to Boston and becomes Mr. Lapham’s business partner. The fact that Mr. Tweedie is still a journeyman at the age of 40 reflects the steep difficulties that craftsmen might face in establishing their own shops.