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The English Atlantic in an Age of Revolution, 1640–1661
Between 1640 and 1660, England, Scotland, and Ireland faced civil war, invasion, religious radicalism, parliamentary rule, and the restoration of the monarchy. Carla Gardina Pestana offers a sweeping history that systematically connects these cataclysmic events and the development of the infant plantations from Newfoundland to Surinam.
By 1660, the English Atlantic emerged as religiously polarized, economically interconnected, socially exploitative, and ideologically anxious about its liberties. War increased both the proportion of unfree laborers and ethnic diversity in the settlements. Neglected by London, the colonies quickly developed trade networks, especially from seafaring New England, and entered the slave trade. Barbadian planters in particular moved decisively toward slavery as their premier labor system, leading the way toward its adoption elsewhere. When by the 1650s the governing authorities tried to impose their vision of an integrated empire, the colonists claimed the rights of "freeborn English men," making a bid for liberties that had enormous implications for the rise in both involuntary servitude and slavery. Changes at home politicized religion in the Atlantic world and introduced witchcraft prosecutions.
Pestana presents a compelling case for rethinking our assumptions about empire and colonialism and offers an invaluable look at the creation of the English Atlantic world.
By 1660, the English Atlantic emerged as religiously polarized, economically interconnected, socially exploitative, and ideologically anxious about its liberties. War increased both the proportion of unfree laborers and ethnic diversity in the settlements. Neglected by London, the colonies quickly developed trade networks, especially from seafaring New England, and entered the slave trade. Barbadian planters in particular moved decisively toward slavery as their premier labor system, leading the way toward its adoption elsewhere. When by the 1650s the governing authorities tried to impose their vision of an integrated empire, the colonists claimed the rights of "freeborn English men," making a bid for liberties that had enormous implications for the rise in both involuntary servitude and slavery. Changes at home politicized religion in the Atlantic world and introduced witchcraft prosecutions.
Pestana presents a compelling case for rethinking our assumptions about empire and colonialism and offers an invaluable look at the creation of the English Atlantic world.
356 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 16, 2017
On the one hand, this book has lots of information that's not widely available, and may be the only book out there on this topic. That's a great thing.
On the other hand, it's poorly written, with terrible grammar, unbrowsable paragraph structure, and clumsy sentence structure. It's just very hard to read quickly, and the most important information is often buried in long paragraphs with completely unrelated topic sentences.
The book also contains an awful lot of analysis that lacks any perspective of the wider truths of the time period. Some of it is very obvious, and some of it is inconsistent or inaccurate.
Like I said, the book has a lot of good and unique information. It also has some serious flaws.
On the other hand, it's poorly written, with terrible grammar, unbrowsable paragraph structure, and clumsy sentence structure. It's just very hard to read quickly, and the most important information is often buried in long paragraphs with completely unrelated topic sentences.
The book also contains an awful lot of analysis that lacks any perspective of the wider truths of the time period. Some of it is very obvious, and some of it is inconsistent or inaccurate.
Like I said, the book has a lot of good and unique information. It also has some serious flaws.
July 24, 2025
This book is a modern classic. The 1640s in Britain has had a decisive impact on the world we live in. I think this book should be part of alot of history curriculums and reading lists. It needs to be read by everyone.
June 8, 2016
I just used this book for specific information I needed so I didn't read it cover to cover. However the fact that I needed it for something that other books didn't cover tells a lot about the unique niche it fills in historiography. You can find books on the English Civil War and books on colonial America but it's rare to see the two subjects linked like this author does. Because of this, it gives a more comprehensive view of why and how America came to be.
October 3, 2015
Not my favorite History book, but well formatted and easy to follow. Clearly thematic chapters that each deals with an aspect of the English Atlantic colonies before, during, and after the revolution in England.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews