The New England mind in transition;: Samuel Johnson of Connecticut, 1696-1772

by Joseph J. Ellis

Genres: Americana

292 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 1973

About the author

Joseph John-Michael Ellis III is an American historian whose work focuses on the lives and times of the Founding Fathers of the United States. His book American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson won a National Book Award in 1997 and Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for History. Both of these books were bestsellers.

Reviews

[Marissa Sobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating read of a historical account of thought in colonial New England focused on Samuel Johnson. I didn't realize that there was a group who wanted Anglican religion in a predominantly Puritan New England. Mr. Johnson also seems like an intelligent man, wanting to learn more about different religions and religious thought and bringing that love of learning to his students. It's a shame that his thoughts on education and educational pedagogy were not well received in his day. I hope his students appreciated that he gave them the agency to read all kinds of religious and philosophical thought, not just the prevalent ideas of the university he was teaching at at the time.