Colonial America: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #339

by Alan Taylor

In the traditional narrative of American colonial history, early European settlements, as well as native peoples and African slaves, were treated in passing as unfortunate aberrations in a fundamentally upbeat story of Englishmen becoming freer and more prosperous by colonizing an abundant continent of "free land."

Over the last generation, historians have broadened our understanding of colonial America by adopting both a trans-Atlantic and a trans-continental perspective, examining the interplay of Europe, Africa, and the Americas through the flow of goods, people, plants, animals, capital, and ideas. In this Very Short Introduction , Alan Taylor presents an engaging overview of the best of this new scholarship. He shows that American colonization derived from a global expansion of European exploration and commerce that began in the fifteenth century. The English had to share the stage with the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Russians, each of whom created alternative Americas. By comparing the diverse colonies of rival empires, Taylor recovers what was truly distinctive about the English enterprise in North America. He focuses especially on slavery as central to the economy, culture, and political thought of the colonists and restores the importance of native peoples to the colonial story. To adapt
to the new land, the colonists needed the expertise, guidance, alliance, and trade of the Indians who dominated the interior. This historical approach emphasizes the ability of the diverse natives to adapt to the newcomers and to compel concessions from them.

This Very Short Introduction describes an intermingling of cultures and of microbes, plants, and animals--from different continents that was unparalleled in global history.

Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, Audiobook, College, School

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2012

About the author

Alan Shaw Taylor is a historian specializing in early American history. He is the author of a number of books about colonial America, the American Revolution, and the Early American Republic. He has won a Pulitzer Prize and the Bancroft Prize for his work.

Taylor graduated from Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, in 1977 and earned his Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1986. Currently a professor of history at the University of California, Davis, he will join the faculty of the Corcoran Department of History at the University of Virginia in 2014.

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly not dry. I appreciated how it was broken down by country’s colonies and that the last chapter was on empire, featuring Captain Cook and Hawaii. Overall, a quick and useful read to prepare me for a colonial seminar.

[Emily Poe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I have to read this book for APUSH? Yes. Did I absolutely eat this shit up? Yes. Is it because I’m a slut for history? Absolutely. No, but actually this book was weirdly good. I enjoyed how Taylor focused on Native Americans and their roots and culture because sometimes I feel like they get over looked in classrooms and in textbooks so I enjoyed the new perspective and information. I kind of wished he included more information about the Indians in later chapters of the book, I felt as though he stopped mentioning them after chapter four ir so and just never mentioned them again. Granted the following chapters did focus heavily on European trade and the new colonies. Either way I enjoyed this book and it was super insightful and it was written in a way that made it easy to follow and understand what was happening.

[Richard Subber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another blockbuster in the A Very Short Introduction series.
No matter how much you know about colonial America, you’ll learn more from Taylor’s sweep of all the Atlantic horizons.
I won’t attempt the thankless task of summarizing a brief summary of the historical verities of the millions of American Indians who lived in North and South America for thousands of years, and of the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch colonists who invaded the Indians’ homelands.
For a new student of American history, Taylor’s work is a stunning, almost counter-intuitive presentation of the broad array and surprising diversity of “first contact” and subsequent colonial experiences—the Pilgrims were latecomers, they weren’t the “first Americans” in any way you can imagine.
For the serious student and the historian, Taylor offers many reminders of all the things you don’t know too well (or at all), and all the things you know about colonial America that aren’t true.
Before 1492, the indigenous populations of North and South America comprised about 7% of the inhabitants of Earth. In 1800, the American Indians were less than 1% of global population. In the 18th century, most of the new arrivals in the Americas were African slaves, not European colonists. These are a couple of the flip sides of the colonial success stories.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
http://richardsubber.com/

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty engaging for an introduction, arranged thematically rather than chronologically.

[Pablo Vasquez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shit book, America doesn’t even exist anyways

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ Solid, short piece of literature that ties up a complex history into 150ish pages.

[Ishbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

for Colonial North American History, Fall 2022

yes i am adding this. anything to get to my reading goal.

[Iris Schmeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

not the most exciting thing to read obviously, but actually rather engrossing with great cultural perspective which should not be too surprising considering it is a part of the lovely short introduction series done by oxford.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very concise introduction to colonial America. The harshness and brutality are always part of the picture, and the author does not spare the reader.
This book is informative and serves as a guide to further reading, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in how the New World was established by the European empires of the time.

[Dylan]

For school. But good book to have some basic understanding of the early colonization of North America

[Dennis Seese · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been proctoring AP exams which has opened up extra reading time. Having just finished the VSI to American Slavery, tackling the volume on Colonial America seemed like a logical (if not entirely chronologically sound) next step. I was lucky enough to score these two volumes (along with the VSIs to American Political History and North American Indians) as a bundle for a paltry two dollars.

Alan Taylor did a masterful job providing wide, far reaching historical context for European settlement of the North American continent in a concise space. This re-enforced to me once again that so much of the 'Colonial History' I was taught before high school seemed only to be a cartoony narrative of the New England colonial experience
Taylor does an excellent job delineating the massive differences in the orgins, character and culture of each specific colonial entity/region.
He also skillfully outlines the history of Spanish and French settlement and colonization in the Americas.
Perhaps most importantly he provides a fascinating overview of the vast networks of Native peoples and their shifting understandings of, responses to and allegiances with the Europeans but also with other Native groups. The diversity and complexities of Native groups and their interrelations is both fascinating and indispensible to understanding how North America came to be in its current guise

[Steve Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the unabridged audiobook version of this book.

Not all of the books in the "Very Short Introduction" series are good. Some are outstanding. This one stands out in that it gave me an incredible amount of information on the early history of the European colonial settlement of the Americas, much of it stuff of which I was unaware.

Taylor gives a great deal of attention to indigenous populations and their interaction with early colonists, as well as the introduction and maintenance of chattel slavery. He doesn't focus on North America, but covers the Americas both north and south, as well as Hawaii.

He does an excellent job, and it is yet another "Very Short Introduction" that may have to become a presence on the physical shelf in my library.

[Bookluvr7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

For being one of the first books I read as a history book it was actually good. While I give this 5 stars I am not rating it the same as the other fantasy books I’ve read. I’m eating it 5 stars because I think the information it provided and the way it told the story of Colonial America was brilliantly laid out. This explains the story from the immigration of Natives to America all the way to the American Revolution and some other facts about Alaska and Hawaii as the became ran by the United States. I definitely recommend this book if you are looking to find out more about Colonial America but don’t want a 300 page long book. 5/5 stars.

[anothercorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book! It explains how the colonies came about and why.

TLDR: Spain focused on missionaries, the French were nicer to natives because they needed them for furs, while the South was home to brutal slave owners. The North was driven by religious freedom, and Virginia by money. Before the Catholic king was gone, it was more like "we’re on our own," but the crown began tightening control after that.

[Robert Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just what I was looking for, a small and concise introduction to the colonization of the new world. I especially appreciated to strong inclusion of the Indian perspective. The author not only showed reactions to colonization, but accommodations as well. A very good short read, and if you are seeking a brief introduction.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. Read most of it in one day while flying home from NYE. Easy read and informative even if it doesn't as in-depth as it could. It's a "short introduction" after all... and honestly, that's all I need.
I'll be looking for more books in this series.

Bonus points: It's small and fits in my pocket.

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a very alright book for a history class. i learned some new information, which is what a history book should do. there were some pictures, but i wish there were more. i appreciate it being "very short"

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Was not what I was looking for at all.

[Vienna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but boring. I probably would have liked it more if I didn't have to take notes on it for school.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Served its purpose as an introduction to Colonial America and went into the right amount of detail on all matters.

[Amy Del Cid · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of information on a single page. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I didn't have to take notes for school. Dry at times and interesting at others, it wasn't outstanding.

[Laura Merlina]

summer reading for ap us history

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear, concise, and beautifully written. This overview invites the reader to consider some of the dynamics that create this country. Worth the time to read.

[Yahya]

This is a very concise introduction to colonial America
a very informative book

[Finn Mokrzycki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the title. It really is a short introduction to the period. It gives a good overview of what went on, though I wish it provided more primary sources or documents in the reading. Still very good.

[Palswd · Rating 4 out of 5]

History dotted with a little bit of demography, economics and epidemiology; also has an extensive list of further readings.

[Bill Dauster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A frank, honest, and balanced account of the diverse forces colonizing North America, full of interesting insights.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the good VSIs. Sets out the topic effectively and introduces the topic comprehensibly.

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

mostly easy to read for class but sometimes i just couldnt retain any information rip

[Dysnekro · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10