book

I needed this book for summer reading for my son. I was very pleased to find it on Amazon used at a great price and great shipping. Thanks!!

Good Read

I agree with most people that have read this book, that is gets somewhat boring and is a little drawn out.
Other than that, it's a great informative book on the Puritans and John Winthrop.

Relevant to the present day

I had never thought the Puritans had much of a dilemma, but the book was an eye-opener... They had to reconcile religious ideology with the day-to-day realities of governing a colony. The temptation to isolationism was one of Winthrop's challenges -- "We're godly so we can ignore the rest of the world." In order to keep afloat they had to be practical -- selling salt cod to the papists -- first running Roger Williams out of the colony to Rhode Island and then helping Williams fight off the Indians, not because they wanted Williams to survive but because they didn't want Rhode Island to become part of the Dutch colony in Niew Amsterdam (New York)...

Then all the difficulty of deciding how much of a role religion had in government, and the beginnings of a democratic process... There is some relevance to the present day, too. Those who want America to be a more aggressively "Christian Nation" should take note of Winthrop's soul-searching, and how Government tends to corrupt religion.

A peek into Puritan Massachusetts

This brief and dense history of John Winthrop's Boston is a must-read for folks interested in colonial life in America. Beginning with the formation of the Massachusetts Bay Company in England, and following them to the new world and the new struggles that accompany their arrival, historical juggernaut Edmund Morgan paints an unfamiliar picture of John Winthrop.

Often depicted as a fundamentalist zealot, Morgan's Winthrop is a more pragmatic puritan - one willing to make compromises in favor of trade, diplomacy, or popular support. Winthrop's struggles with his own people are also highlighted throughout the book, particularly in the roller coaster of on-again, off-again governorship between him and his rivals.

The book also clarifies the objectives and different types of puritanism, which I, as a student of history, found very helpful in understanding the religious landscape of Englands both new and old.

The one downside to the work is the style in which it's written. As an early work of Morgan's, he had not yet found the compelling, conversational voice which he is today known for, resulting in an academic tone that makes reading a bit tedious at times. Regardless, the thorough research and interesting subject matter more than makes up for it.

Excellent treatment of what's often forgotten, dismissed or mythologized

An interesting look at the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the remarkable character who lead it for most of its first couple decades. It seems easier for many people to view the Puritans as stereotypes rather than real people, but they're more interesting as flesh and blood human beings living in the real world. Considering their importance to American beginnings, it's probably wiser to try to understand them as real people. They were amazing in some respects, misguided in others, but they got New England going, along with Harvard, Yale and a powerful commitment to literacy and education. They also started representative government in the New World, at least in the northern British colonies, and they had a leader of rare abilities in Winthrop. This is a part of American history that's perhaps more relegated to either caricature or the dustbin than any other, and that's to our loss in understanding our roots and their continuing effects on our society.