Primary Format: Paper
ISBN: 9780874518528
Published: 10/01/1997
Pages: 384
Size: 5.5 x 8.5 in.
Subject(s):

The Puritan Tradition in America, 1620–1730


Edited by Alden T. Vaughan

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Many students of our national character would agree that, for better or worse, the Puritan tradition had an enormous effect on the assumptions and aspirations of today's Americans. This book tells the story, largely through the participants' own words, of the emergence of that tradition. It provides a broad range of primary documents--religious, political, social, legal, familial, and economic--for an understanding of Puritanism in early New England. Originally published in 1972, it is reissued here with a new introduction and two new documents: extracts from Anne Hutchinson's trial and from John Winthrop's "Experiencia".

A superb collection of sources about the origins and development of American Puritanism, skillfully edited and carefully chosen. The anthology is perfect for advanced undergraduates in colonial American history courses and in American religious history courses.
—Richard W. Cogley, Southern Methodist University

This is simply the best single collection of documents and readings for undergraduate use. No other book has its scope and breadth. It is well balanced between sermonic, legal, political, and literary documents. Moreover, Vaughan's analytic focus on politics, society, religion, family, and the institution of cultural reproduction provide the maximum flexibility for someone trying to open up the various facets of Puritan New England.
—Darren Staloff, City University of New York

Alden Vaughan taught colonial history for many years at Columbia University. His books include Shakespeare's Caliban (1991) and New England Frontier: Puritans and Indians, 1620-1675 (1965).

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