Out of European revolutions and social upheaval, an extraordinary society of literate, pious, and prosperous English Puritans flowered in seventeenth-century New England. This wonderfully readable history recreates the world of Puritan New England and places it in the broad sweep of history. The book provides a fascinating look into Puritan society, with sailors, sinners, women, children, and Native Americans joining the usual Puritan ministers of the seventeenth century. Combining remarkable primary sources with an enjoyable narrative, this book reveals the New England Nation in its fullness and complexity, and reveals striking parallels with the America of today.
'New England Nation is the most important book on American Puritanism in a generation. Based on a lifetime of research, it dispels the myths that have dogged the Puritans across the centuries, resuscitates their humanity, and reaffirms their critical legacy in the making of modern American culture.'-Bruce Tucker, Professor of History, University of Windsor
'Bruce C. Daniels offers a lively and accessible narrative of the Puritan story. This book is a great place for readers with little knowledge of the Puritans to dispel misconceptions, while those well-versed in colonial history can still look forward to a great read and deft handling of familiar terrain."-Carol Karlsen, Professor Emerita of History and Women's Studies, University of Michigan
'This is a wonderfully readable page-turner of a book that explains who New England's Puritans were, how they lived and thought, and why they continue to strongly influence our ideas about America and its possibilities.'-Walter W. Woodward, Associate Professor of History, University of Connecticut, and State Historian of Connecticut
'With his customary sharp insight and wry wit, Bruce C. Daniels sweeps away the standard caricature of Puritan New England, showing us a lively landscape inhabited by real human beings, full of complications, contradictions, and contrariness.'-Gregory Nobles, Professor of History, Georgia Institute of Technology
'Bruce C. Daniels offers a lively and accessible narrative of the Puritan story. This book is a great place for readers with little knowledge of the Puritans to dispel misconceptions, while those well-versed in colonial history can still look forward to a great read and deft handling of familiar terrain."-Carol Karlsen, Professor Emerita of History and Women's Studies, University of Michigan
'This is a wonderfully readable page-turner of a book that explains who New England's Puritans were, how they lived and thought, and why they continue to strongly influence our ideas about America and its possibilities.'-Walter W. Woodward, Associate Professor of History, University of Connecticut, and State Historian of Connecticut
'With his customary sharp insight and wry wit, Bruce C. Daniels sweeps away the standard caricature of Puritan New England, showing us a lively landscape inhabited by real human beings, full of complications, contradictions, and contrariness.'-Gregory Nobles, Professor of History, Georgia Institute of Technology