Colonial America: A History, 1585-1776

Colonial America: A History, 1585-1776

by RichardMiddleton (Author)

Synopsis

The thirteen North American colonies established by Great Britain eventually formed the nucleus of the United States. This outstanding book describes their history, both individually and collectively. Since its first publication in 1992 it has become the established textbook for students of the period.The second edition has been revised throughout and substantially expanded. It now opens with a wide-ranging account of American Indian societies at the time of the colonists' first arrival. It concludes with a new Part IV containing narrative chapters on the breach with Britain and on the War of Independence. The book ends with the Declaration of Independence in 1776.In addition to chronological narrative, the reader will also find here discussions and examinations of every important aspect of colonial society. The author describes, for example, the colonial impact on American Indian culture, the changing position and role of women, the beginnings of slavery, and the evolution of political and social structures. He also considers the development of education, science and the arts, the tension between religious freedom and the pressure to conform, and the beginnings of African American society.Accompanied by maps, contemporary illustrations, chronologies, documents and a fully updated and expanded section of further reading, this comprehensive and readable history of the colonial period is a fascinating account of the evolution of a new and distinctive society.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 576
Edition: 2
Publisher: Wiley–Blackwell
Published: 22 Nov 2000

ISBN 10: 1557866791
ISBN 13: 9781557866790

Media Reviews
This comprehensive text is reinforced with well-chosen illustrations, supporting excerpts from documents that are set off typographically, and by clear and generous maps. Those interested in major scholarly controversies are invited by perceptive footnotes to read further, and the volume ends with a well-selected and up-to-date bibliography. Assisted by this foundational text, instructors will be free to elaborate on intriguing themes and theses. Middleton's well-written Colonial America is a solid introduction to a volatile and exciting field. Ian K. Steele, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History This is a very effective textbook on early American history. It is thorough and conventional, yet up-to-date and concise. It contains relevant maps, contemporary illustrations, chronologies, documents and suggestions for further reading. As well as examining the development of the colonies from their earliest settlement to maturity in the eighteenth century, there are discussions of the colonial impact on American Indian culture, the changing role of women, the beginnings of slavery and the development of political and social structures. Richard Brown, Teaching History A well-written, fluent analysis of the principal events and developments .... he is particularly adept at summarizing the secondary literature to provide succinct, balanced expositions of controversial issues, such as the causes of the Salem witchcraft outbreak or the impact of the Great Awakening. Often these analyses are buttressed by model explanatory footnotes that encourage readers to follow a particular historical debate in greater depth. Other noteworthy features are the remarkably clear and uncluttered maps, the use of contemporary prints and engravings, and the employment of primary source extracts to embellish points made in the text ..... This is a fine book, providing students with an informative and accessible introduction to an increasingly well-trodden field of historical enquiry. History Richard Middleton's new edition of Colonial America strikes a splendid balance between political and institutional history and new approaches to social and cultural history. The chapters on families, women, African-Americans, and Native-Americans are models of synthesis and compression, embracing the latest scholarship. The same may be said for the important additional chapters on the coming of American independence. This text deserves a long and successful life in the classroom. Don Higginbotham, Dowd Professor of History, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Author Bio
Richard Middleton was born in Lincolnshire in England in 1941. Since 1967 he has taught at Queen's University in Belfast, where he is currently Senior Lecturer in American History. Between 1972 and 1974 he was a Fellow of the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg, Virginia.