In the 17th century, Protestant zealots became leaders in England and New England, determined to lead the forces of God against the Antichrist. They tried to create heaven-on-earth societies of the godly, aggressively promoting conformity to their ways. Gradually, though, the realities of living in the real world of fallible, contentious human beings led to new political realities such as democracy, religious tolerance, and social equality. In this second of a trilogy beginning with Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado (2000), Aronson shows how events of the 1630s and ’40s have affected political thought ever since, tracing the beginnings of secular democracy to the English Civil War. The text is dense and thorough in its analysis of such key players as Winthrop, Cromwell, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson; the writing is clear and the documentation meticulous. Though allusions to contemporary novels, writers, and events are sometimes jarring, this is an important study of the origins of America as a land of promise. (cast of characters, endnotes, bibliography, timeline, index) (Nonfiction. 12+)
