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raventrix09's review against another edition
I was reading for a class and ended up dropping the course.
the3romes's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Well written book on a formative period in North American history; succeeds in what it intends to convey to a general readership.
tristyndc's review against another edition
4.0
So many historical works are filled with passion instead of research. I’ve read biased histories and seen documentaries that, despite my layman’s understanding of American history, I knew had to be erroneous. Although nearly all historical studies, due to the nature of historical research, are subject to some interpretation, some historians and more often non-historians seem to believe that they can interpret historical events whichever way they please. I’ve rarely, if ever, read or watched interpretations so morally charged as those surrounding colonial America. One side of the political spectrum seeks to paint the picture of the evil white settlers coming to the continent and eradicating the innocent natives, ripping away their culture and killing them by the millions. The other side wants to paint the opposite image. The wonderful white settlers, who want nothing more than peace and religious freedom coming to America, only to face off against the ignorant savages that awaited them. The truth is, there is not much more than a grain of truth in each of these views.
American Colonies: The Settling of North America did an excellent job of portraying the evils of the Europeans in the context in which they actually existed. That is, they existed in a violent time, where conquering, slavery, and expansion was the norm of all earthly societies. The European movement to the America’s was borne of both economic wanting and religious zeal. Some Europeans upon their arrival acted with a harshness unbecoming of someone who called themselves civilized, like Cortez and his arrival in South America and his rather despicable actions against the Aztecs. Others, like some of the early English settlements were headed by avowed pacifists and were beset by hostile native tribes. On the whole (despite their being those who desired peace) both the American Indians and the Europeans believed their way of life was superior and sought to exploit the others for all that they are worth. Some tribes allied themselves with the Europeans against other tribes or the other European empires.
Still, the Europeans saw an immense amount of death of their native contemporaries. Some of the death was brought on intentionally, through war and exploitation. But the vast majority of deaths were caused not by people but by pathogens, which were not yet understood. Pathogens had been building in Europe for centuries because of their highly populated regions and the uncivilized people of the Americas simply didn’t have the immune systems to deal with it. This one-sided slaughter increased the arrogance of the Europeans, who believed that god was punishing those natives who were not Christians. At the same time, many natives also began to believe that the Christian God could save them, which made some tribes subordinate themselves.
The book also details slavery, which did not, contrary to popular belief begin because of racism, but was a human universal up until the 19th century (which this book does not cover). It was actually quite the opposite. Racism developed as a justification for slavery as the moral framework of humanity evolved. And along with racism, the treatment of slaves became harsher over time, eventually culminating in the gruesome slavery that we are all familiar with in popular media.
All in all, this balanced look at history teaches of the decisions that set America on the path that it is still following. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the settlement of the Americas and anyone, in general, who wants to learn from the mistakes of history.
American Colonies: The Settling of North America did an excellent job of portraying the evils of the Europeans in the context in which they actually existed. That is, they existed in a violent time, where conquering, slavery, and expansion was the norm of all earthly societies. The European movement to the America’s was borne of both economic wanting and religious zeal. Some Europeans upon their arrival acted with a harshness unbecoming of someone who called themselves civilized, like Cortez and his arrival in South America and his rather despicable actions against the Aztecs. Others, like some of the early English settlements were headed by avowed pacifists and were beset by hostile native tribes. On the whole (despite their being those who desired peace) both the American Indians and the Europeans believed their way of life was superior and sought to exploit the others for all that they are worth. Some tribes allied themselves with the Europeans against other tribes or the other European empires.
Still, the Europeans saw an immense amount of death of their native contemporaries. Some of the death was brought on intentionally, through war and exploitation. But the vast majority of deaths were caused not by people but by pathogens, which were not yet understood. Pathogens had been building in Europe for centuries because of their highly populated regions and the uncivilized people of the Americas simply didn’t have the immune systems to deal with it. This one-sided slaughter increased the arrogance of the Europeans, who believed that god was punishing those natives who were not Christians. At the same time, many natives also began to believe that the Christian God could save them, which made some tribes subordinate themselves.
The book also details slavery, which did not, contrary to popular belief begin because of racism, but was a human universal up until the 19th century (which this book does not cover). It was actually quite the opposite. Racism developed as a justification for slavery as the moral framework of humanity evolved. And along with racism, the treatment of slaves became harsher over time, eventually culminating in the gruesome slavery that we are all familiar with in popular media.
All in all, this balanced look at history teaches of the decisions that set America on the path that it is still following. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the settlement of the Americas and anyone, in general, who wants to learn from the mistakes of history.
alisonjfields's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent broad-based, highly readable survey of the colonization of the New World, including North and South America. Recommended if you're looking for an intelligent introduction to that sort of thing, even if Alan Taylor does have a bit of a soft spot for the Puritans, in specific, and New England, in general.
ilovestory's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent narrative of the formation of the various colonies and the consequences of each action taken by country or colonist or Native American on the environment and on one another.