Customer Reviews for Continuum International John Winthrop: Biography As History

The first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop is considered to be the principle architect of early New England society. Discussing his family life, and the challenges faced by the early 17th century settlers, learn how he led the colonists through the initial struggles to survive in a new world; shaped the political organizations that gave the colonists the right to govern themselves through elected governors and representatives; worked to mediate between those who advanced radical religious and political ideas on the one hand and those who sought a very narrowly defined orthodoxy; and contributed to the development of a system of education which insured the preservation of the founders' heritage.

The details of this brief biography are drawn from the author's larger, prize-winning study of "John Winthrop: America's Forgotten Founding Father" (Oxford University Press, 2003), though modified in minor ways by his ongoing research. To render it more accessible to an undergraduate audience, Bremer avoids in-depth discussion of theology and other specialized topics and focus instead on trying to provide students with an appreciation of how Winthrop's world differed from theirs, but how at the same time he dealt with issues that continue to resonate in our own society. 112 pages, softcover.