From Puritan to Yankee: Character and the Social Order in Connecticut, 1690-1765

by Richard L. Bushman

Book Overview

The years from 1690 to 1765 in America have usually been considered a waiting period before the Revolution. Richard L. Bushman, in his penetrating study of colonial Connecticut, takes another view. He shows how, during these years, economic ambition and religious ferment profoundly altered the structure of Puritan society, enlarging the bounds of liberty and inspiring resistance to established authority.

This is an investigation of the strains...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674325516
• ISBN13: 9780674325517
• Release Date: May 1980
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A help for Connecticut genealogists

This book is a wonderful addition for the amateur genealogist of Connecticut families. Many things are explained here that flesh out the "facts" gleaned from documents about various family members. I particularly found helpful the discussion on property and town formations.

Portrait of Connecticut before the Revolution

In England, the Puritans defied church and state. In America, ironically, the Puritans established colonies which came to emphasize deference to authority. In colonial New England, a rough equality in condition eased most tensions of hierarchy in status. By the eve of the Revolution, however, several factors--religious, political, economic and demographic--worked to rekindle the Puritan tradition of agitation and radicalism. The Protestant emphasis on the authority of individual conscience was revived. Richard L. Bushman explores these developments in Connecticut, providing a colorful social portrait. He brings to life arguments and controversies, illuminating the convictions and feelings of each side. Bushman's work proves very informative and quite readable.