THE STORY OF THE ""OLD COLONY

by Samuel Eliot Morison ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1956

This is an excellent and absorbingly written account of the reasons why the Pilgrim Fathers settled the original colony of Plymouth and, afterwards, what they and their first generation descendants did towards establishing themselves and their way of living. Showing his abilities as a historian for young people as well as adult readers, Mr. Morison presents the kind of text that is clear and explanatory yet thoroughly adult in concept. In relating the history of Plymouth, first things come first and he starts with the backgrounds of the two Williams, Bradford and Brewster, and their operations in the religious climate of an England which made it more dangerous to be a Separatist than to join a Communist cell today. Through the familiar periods of Pilgrim history- the sojourn in Holland, the Mayflower voyage, the first terrible winters, Indian relationships, growth and the development of trade and so forth- there is the observation of the bad along with the good, the comment for example that theirs was a nosy government even though its concepts contributed to the ideal of freedom. To the very last page an arresting book and one that may well become a standard volume for supplementary reading in American history.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1956

Categories: NONFICTION