America's Forgotten Colonial History

Dana Huntley

3.88 · Rating details · 17 ratings · 4 reviews

This is what we all learned in school: Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. They had a rough start, but ultimately made a go of it, made friends with the Indians, and celebrated with a big Thanksgiving dinner. Other uptight religious Puritans followed them and the whole place became New England. There were some Dutch down in New York, and sooner or la ...more

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Hardcover, 240 pages

Published August 21st 2019 by Lyons Press

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Dec 08, 2019 Deb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

We all learned American Colonial history ... 1600s and the Pilgrims, the Puritans, Jamestown, Thanksgiving ... and then our lessons jump to the Revolutionary War, Boson Tea Party, etc. But, there is so much history about the colonials in the late 1600s and early 1700s that I did not know.

I think the most memorable revelation was the great differences between the Virginians and the New Englanders and then the Pennsylvanians. Unless we Americans understand those differences, it is difficult to re We all learned American Colonial history ... 1600s and the Pilgrims, the Puritans, Jamestown, Thanksgiving ... and then our lessons jump to the Revolutionary War, Boson Tea Party, etc. But, there is so much history about the colonials in the late 1600s and early 1700s that I did not know.

I think the most memorable revelation was the great differences between the Virginians and the New Englanders and then the Pennsylvanians. Unless we Americans understand those differences, it is difficult to really understand our country. In general, Virginia was populated by 'aristocrats', royalists 'escaping' Cromwell's England. The immigrants to Virginia were utterly loyal to the Crown. In fact, Virginia was advertised as “the last refuge of Royalists.”

New England was populated by religious dissenters where the primary requirement for membership in the community was conformity—both religious and social. The colonials' ability to survive and thrive on the frontier in New England depended upon solidarity as a community, and very little on the doings of a remote central government....a completely new idea to any European! Success depended on character and ability rather than their gentility ... far different than the Virginians.

In fact, "The two societies emerging in the English colonies of the New World in the mid-seventeenth century could scarcely have been more different."

Then there was the settlement of Pennsylvania by Quakers who determined not to impose on others the strictures of religious conformity! William Penn’s religious and political ideals—including tolerance and moderation were the foundation of the next wave of immigrants to America.

The entire book is filled with revelations about the years 1650 to 1750....such formative years to our country!

I have to admit I skimmed the details, and there was a lot, about the Seven Years' War/French & Indian War. But, now I realize how important that conflict was to developing our country.

Most memorable quotes:
"we were the first nation in the world formed as an explicitly Protestant country"

"With every generation that passed, New England colonists had fewer ties with, less knowledge of, and less loyalty to the social mores and political cultural of the mother country."

"a new world indeed, where every citizen was equally part of the community, where the distinctions of rank and birth that formed English society were absent."

I LOVED this analogy:
"With its roots in the royalist, Anglican cause, the voices speaking for Virginia and her southern neighbors cried for “Liberty.” They sought the traditional liberties of the English aristocracy and land owning citizens."
VERSUS The "firebrands of the northern colonies, however, were fighting for the “Freedom” of individual citizens." ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Jeffery rated it it was amazing

It’s a very interesting and readable study of the formation of colonial America long before the events that led to the American Revolution. We have all learned that the migration to the North American continent was in pursuit of religious freedom, but without the background of the changing views that came with reining Royalty. This resulted in multiple migrations with varied approaches to settlement locations, governance and cooperation with both the indigenous native population and the settlers ...more

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Jan 30, 2021 Brian Kinsella rated it it was ok

The book claims to fill a void of time that people may be ignorant of. For the author to mention the colonies' religious differences as being extreme, compared to an enlightened America in the 21st Century is puzzling and quite bold. Not only that, but Native Americans are referred to as "Indians" throughout the book, which is such an outdated term I'm surprised it made it to print. These, plus lack of any bibliography or referencing, make for a disappointing read. ...more

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