American Nation: A History, Vol. 4

A Dusty Tomes Audio BookIn Cooperation with Spoken Realms

England in America, 1580–1652 by Lyon Gardiner Tyler, President of William and Mary College

Narrated by Joseph Tabler

Volume 4 of 27 in The American Nation: A History published by Harper Brothers (1904–1918). Edited by Albert Bushnell Hart, Professor of History at Harvard University.

Editor’s Introduction to the Series: That a new history of the United States is needed, extending from the discovery down to the present time, hardly needs a statement. No such comprehensive work by a competent writer is now in existence. Individual writers have treated only limited chronological fields. Meantime there, is a rapid increase of published sources and of serviceable monographs based on material hitherto unused. On the one side there is a necessity for an intelligent summarizing of the present knowledge of American history by trained specialists; on the other hand there is need of a complete work, written in untechnical style, which shall serve for the instruction and the entertainment of the general reader.

Editor’s Introduction to Volume Four: This volume begins a detailed story of the English settlement, and its title indicates the conception of the author that during the first half-century the American colonies were simply outlying portions of the English nation, but that owing to disturbances culminating in civil war they had the opportunity to develop on lines not suggested by the home government.

AUTHOR’S PREFACE: This book covers a period of a little more than three-quarters of a century. It begins with the first attempt at English colonization in America, in 1576, and ends with the year 1652, when the supremacy of Parliament was recognized throughout the English colonies. The most interesting period in the history of any country is the formative period; and through the mass of recently published original material on America the opportunity to tell its story well has been of late years greatly increased. In the preparation of this work I have endeavored to consult the original sources, and to admit secondary testimony only in matters of detail.

I. Genesis of English Colonization (1492–1579)II. Gilbert and Raleigh Colonies (1583–1602)III. Founding of Virginia (1602–1608)IV. Gloom in Virginia (1608–1617)V. Transition of Virginia (1617–1640)VI. Social and Economic Conditions of Virginia (1634–1652)VII. Founding of Maryland (1632–1650)VIII. Contentions in Maryland (1633–1652)IX. Founding of Plymouth (1608–1630)X. Development of New Plymouth (1621–1643)XI. Genesis of Massachusetts (1628–1630)XII. Founding of Massachusetts (1630–1642)XIII. Religion and Government in Massachusetts (1631–1638)XIV. Narragansett and Connecticut Settlements (1635–1637)XV. Founding of Connecticut and New Haven (1637–1652)XVI. New Hampshire and Maine (1653–1658)XVII. Colonial Neighbors (1643–1652)XVIII. The New England Confederation (1643–1654)XIX. Early New England Life (1624–1652)