The Trials of Thomas Morton, Peter C. Mancall
The Trials of Thomas Morton, Peter C. Mancall
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The Trials of Thomas Morton
An Anglican Lawyer, His Puritan Foes, and the Battle for a New England

Author: Peter C. Mancall

Narrator: Bob Souer

Unabridged: 5 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/12/2019


Synopsis

A new look at Thomas Morton, his controversial colonial philosophy, and his lengthy feud with the Puritans.

Adding new depth to our understanding of early New England society, this riveting account of Thomas Morton explores the tensions that arose from competing colonial visions. A lawyer and fur trader, Thomas Morton dreamed of a society where Algonquian peoples and English colonists could coexist. Infamous for dancing around a maypole in defiance of his Pilgrim neighbors, Morton was reviled by the Puritans for selling guns to the Natives. Colonial authorities exiled him three separate times from New England, but Morton kept returning to fight for his beliefs.

This compelling counter-narrative to the familiar story of the Puritans combines a rich understanding of the period with a close reading of early texts to bring the contentious Morton to life. This volume sheds new light on the tumultuous formative decades of the American experience.

About Peter C. Mancall

Peter C. Mancall is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of the Humanities and professor of history and anthropology at the University of Southern California. He is the author of six books about early America, including Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson and Envisioning America: English Plans for the Colonization of North America.


Reviews

Could have been a much shorter book, but I liked the story of a colonist who supported the Native Americans, took on the Puritans and generally made a nuisance of himself.......more

Goodreads review by Valarie

The backstory about the first banned book in America and the writer, who could be considered the first troll (but he was trolling the folks who were killing Natives for their land so...).......more

Goodreads review by Ken

Loved it. I’m a history buff and learned some new information. Writing was excellent, very readable.......more