First Founders: American Puritans and Puritanism in an Atlantic World

by Francis J. Bremer

Francis J. Bremer has spent his entire career broadening our understanding of America's colonial founders. Now, in this eminently readable collection of biographies, Bremer brings us a surprisingly varied and dynamic group of characters who continue to guide and influence America today. With its cast of magistrates, women, clergy, merchants, and Native Americans, First Founders underscores the breadth of early American experience and the profound transatlantic roots of our country's forebears. Bremer succeeds in bringing little-known figures out of the shadows, while allowing us to appreciate better known figures in an entirely new light.

This is a truly fascinating look at the Puritans with keenly drawn portraits and the insight that only a lifetime of scholarship can achieve. It should become the standard introduction to the field. Written in the mold of Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers and Gordon Wood's Revolutionary Characters, the book will appeal to general readers, students, and scholars alike.

Genres: History, American History

296 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

Francis J. Bremer is Emeritus Professor of History at Millersville University.

Reviews

[Eileen O'Finlan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a fresh look at New England's Puritans from their earliest arrival in the 1620s & 1630s through the end of the seventeenth century. Each chapter focuses on a different person. I was glad to see the inclusion of several women (not as many as men, but given the time period, that's understandable). The author gave background on each person starting with their family of origin. He also addressed the religious and political milieu in which they lived and how they responded to it.

The book put to rest a few common misconceptions about Puritans, showing them in both their positive and negative aspects. It rendered them more human than is usually the case and, undoubtedly, closer to the truth.

A very interesting read.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I was unimpressed when the author stated in the intro that he wasn't providing footnotes or endnotes; he claimed it was for the sake of appealing to a general audience. I'm curious exactly what audience he thought he was appealing to, though, because the tone of the book was really odd. Sometimes the author's writing came across as aimed at children, yet he frequently referenced people and events that require some familiarity with the topic. He often simplified concepts and topics to a childish level, while expecting the reader to have more than a layman's knowledge of say, the English Civil Wars.

There's some decently interesting info in here about some of the New England puritans, and the author at least included some sources and other readings (eventually), but I suspect just about any audience would find this unsatisfying in one way or another.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a hard but rewarding read. It contains a lot of information that I was not familiar with, and it took me some time to read. The book did not take me five months to read; I frequently had to put it down because my head was spinning from the amount of new material.

The book gives some vital insights into the origins of how America became America; the Puritans believed that America was the new Jerusalem. Even though I am not a Puritan (I am Jewish) it is easy to understand how different a society America was from Europe, even though many of not most Americans are descended from Europeans. The book hints at how we became both an individualistic and democratic society.