American Roots, Paperback/James D. Bratt

Descriere

Contributor(s):Author: James D. Bratt This book stems from the course on early American history that Professor Bratt taught for many years at Calvin College. It traces the roots of American diversity back to the earliest European and African settlements along the Atlantic shore. It follows the development of five distinct regions that would eventually converge in the young United States, identifying the strengths, vulnerabilities-and arguments-that each contributed to the new nation. "American Roots is a gem of a book. Instead of seeing "the American colonies" as a whole, author James Bratt shows how remarkably different the colonies' five main regions--New England, Middle Colonies, Chesapeake, Lower South and Back Country--were in their development and defining moments. Each put its unique stamp, for good and ill, on what it means to be an American today. This is one powerful little book, full of insights for Americans who want to know themselves and for anyone else who wants to understand Americans." --Joel Carpenter, Nagel Institute, Calvin College "James Bratt has distilled a lifetime of study and teaching into this one Calvin Shorts. For an efficient, clear, balanced, readable--but above all, reliable--introduction to colonial American history, it is hard to imagine a better book." --Mark Noll, author In the Beginning Was the Word: The Bible in American Public Life, 1492-1783 "James D. Bratt's American Roots offers a brisk, engaging review of the often grim realities of early America, and those realities' enduring significance in our national life. Readers will find Bratt a sure guide and a judicious interpreter of these controversial issues." --Thomas S. Kidd, Distinguished Professor of History, Baylor University "This slim volume is at once a masterful primer on colonial America, a lively exemplar of historical thinking, and a pocket guide to understanding the tensions and ideals that created and continue to shape the American nation. Crisply written and chock