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53rd out of 355 books
—
276 voters
The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop
Award-wining historian Edmund Morgan relates the hardships and triumphs of the Puritan movement through this vivid account of its most influential leader, John Winthrop. This indispensable text follows Winthrop from when he caught the fever of Puritanism in England to the dilemma that still lingers in the air of Democracy today: what responsibility does a religious person
...morePaperback, 3rd Edition, 210 pages
Published
October 1st 2006
by Longman Publishing Group
(first published June 1st 1962)
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This book (1958) is outdated in the sense that Morgan approaches his topic differently than how we would today. Still, the book is very readable and gives one a very clear sense of why the Puritans were moving to New England and what the role of Winthrop, who was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony off and on for many years, was in Massachusetts life. Especially, Edmund simply and matter-of-factly explains the political and theological disputes and schisms that roiled England and New Englan...more
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, b...more
So, there were these Puritans, and they had themselves a little dilemma. Actually they had several dilemmas, and all of them were self imposed. For one, they believed it was a sin to enjoy themselves too much, on the other hand they believed God created the Earth and the things on it for human pleasure. They apparently weren't averse to knocking back some wine and getting busy in the bushes, they just had to temper their enthusiasm. Another dilemma was that they wanted to escape religious persec...more
The Puritan Dilemma was: how to live in the world while trying to live up to the ideals they found in the Bible. That conflict presented a constant stream of issues to understand and resolve, including whether to leave England and abandon the church they sought to purify; how to set up a new world in Massachusetts; and, not least, how to cope with Anne Hutchinson! John Winthrop's thoughtfulness and decency propelled him, mostly against his wishes, into the leadership of the group of Puritans who...more
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Mar 25, 2009
Dave Schubert
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history-american
I very much enjoyed this book. It was a very helpful description of the challenges faced both internally and externally by the colony founded by religious Puritans.
The defining quote for me was this: "The purpose of New England was to show the world a community where the laws of God were followed by church and state - as nearly as fallible human beings could follow them." (pg 180)
With the term "puritan" or "puritanical" carrying a negative connotation today, this was a book that contextualized w...more
The defining quote for me was this: "The purpose of New England was to show the world a community where the laws of God were followed by church and state - as nearly as fallible human beings could follow them." (pg 180)
With the term "puritan" or "puritanical" carrying a negative connotation today, this was a book that contextualized w...more
This is essentially beach reading, if you like reading about some of our Anglo forebears who were so uptight they squeaked when they walked...and then held a town meeting to discuss what awful squeakers they were. Truly, the Puritans were terrible nags, but at least they annoyed themselves as much as others. Still, one can appreciate their dilemma for what it was: self-inflicted psychic torment and impossibly convoluted.
Although I have some familiarity with 18th and 19th century American history, I know very little about the very early history. Edmund Morgan's biography of John Winthrop is a delight. Winthrop left England because of the difficulties Puritans experienced living in a society they perceived to be thoroughly corrupt. The question for him was whether to stay and try to convert the unenlightened, or to set out for New England and a more godly life. He left. What he learned as governor of the Massachu...more
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If you're into early American/Puritan history, you should enjoy this. I read it first on my own, then a second time within the context of my American History class, and I definitely got a lot more out of it on the second reading with more background from my professor's lectures. It's primarily a biography of John Winthrop, but also covers Puritanism, the founding and expansion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the religious and political problems of England that led Winthrop and his fellow Pu...more
A nice little introduction to the earliest years of English settlement in Massachusetts. However, Morgan tries too hard to make the Puritans, especially John Winthrop, attractive to the modern reader. He actually manages very well; I never expected to need to ask my students to take a more critical attitude toward the Puritans.
The book is written brilliantly and its chronological organization makes for an easy to follow read. Morgan used an extensive list of sources when writing the book composed of both primary and secondary source material. This list and his explanation of their uses can be found in the back from page 201 to page 205. These include John Winthrop’s own writings that are directly quoted throughout the book and historical accounts of the colony’s development such as Records the Governor And Company of...more
"For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause Him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world."
John F. Kennedy quoted John Winthrop and credited is quote accordingly in 1961.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan, used the same imagery. Reagan never mentioned John Winthrop. But his son, Michael Reagan used "City on a Hill...more
John F. Kennedy quoted John Winthrop and credited is quote accordingly in 1961.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan, used the same imagery. Reagan never mentioned John Winthrop. But his son, Michael Reagan used "City on a Hill...more
Dec 05, 2008
Brian Steed
added it
Read half of this on my honeymoon, after we raided a very cheap used bookstore in a small Maine town. Came out with so many books we had to buy a piece of used luggage at the Thrift Store to carry them all home. As with the other Morgan book I read (Benjamin Franklin), Morgan packs a thorough examination into a relatively brief read. Lots of interesting insights into the religious hair-splitting that constantly threatened to break up the early American colonies.
I read this book for US History, and it it probably the 2nd worst book I've ever read. It is thorough, but it is not reader friendly. And don't be fooled by its small size; it took me almost a week to read it, when I normally read much larger books than this in under 2 hours! I didn't like it, but if you're interested in these types of book, more power to you. This just isn't something I'd ever be interested in. Sorry if my review is harsh...
I had to read this for u.s. history. It was honestly the most boring book I've ever read. It took me forever to read, and I'm usually a very fast reader. That doesn't mean it was a bad book, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I would only recommend this for people interested in American history, as it is a chore to get through if you don't give a damn about what you are reading.
Light, brief, easy read. It achieves a goal every historical biography should, it portrays the era in human terms so you can understand the people and their values. What I found especially interesting was the contrast of Christian theology from then to now. Some nearly universal christian beliefs today (you know what are save, for example) were unconscionable heresy then.
Although only halfway through at the present, this is one of the best biographies I've ever read. The joy and industry in Winthrop's life are admirable in every way. It's fashionable to mock the Puritans, but, as Morgan points out, they found answers to questions that bedevil us today. Perhaps we mock them because we are jealous of them.
This brief, enjoyable paperback inverted the beliefs about Roger Williams that I've had for decades. Furthermore, it takes advantage of its subject to pose a question relevant to persons of all religions. While Morgan seems to think that Winthrop found the right answer, the reader is free to choose their own road.
This book came from a very different perspective than the Puritan Oligarchy one . . . kind of presented the Puritan experiment as a success, never mentioned the revoking of the charter . . . but it was nice to get more biographical detail about a leader and kind of see where he was coming from, rather than just stereotypes and sound-bytes (which is what we get from most history books or overviews of the era.)
Good Book....interesting how the first colonists chose to set up govenment under the laws of God...Not exactly what some purveyors of political/religious views common to my facebook feed would expect to have been the case....
Excellent book! My third time to read it (I am reading it for the AP US History grading). It explains why Roger Williams and Ann Hutchinson are the villains and not the heroes. Easy read and a great primer for Puritans.
I did not know much about the puritan influence in the founding days of America prior to reading this book. To this day, this book shapes how I interpret modern day politics.
A good follow up to 'The Wordy Shipmates'. Boy was it hard to be a Puritan. Interesting politics and the relationship between the colony and Great Britain.
This is a brief, brilliant biography of the Puritan leader by one of the best historians of the colonial period.
A surprisingly very enjoyable, if rather difficult, read. Morgan takes a different approach to analyzing the Puritan situation from other sources I've read, and actually made it sound interesting while he's at it. Good job.
Starts a little slow, but was actually a fascinating read about early American history.
Unfortunately, this book is limited in excitement.
Interesting account of Winthrop's life.
AP History prep. They made me.
Read for a History class. I liked it.
AP History Prep (@ MV)
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