New Haven: From Puritanism to the Age of Terrorism (Making of America: Connecticut)

Rating:
Summary: I love this book!
Review: Being a resident of Connecticut, I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they know the history of our State. I found myself saying "I didn't know that" throughout most of the book. A great read with illustrations and a true insight into our American past.


Rating:
Summary: Most interesting facts...
Review: The author explains complex issues about New Haven's early history using simple language and makes the subject interesting. He covers many aspects of the city's history, including slavery and the rise of industrial prosperity and its eventual decline. It is a general yet comprehensive history covering political, economic, social, religious, and cultural developments of the city and provides close to 60 historical illustrations (drawings, paintings, maps, and photographs) as a supplement to the narrative. Furthermore, it is not simply a history of New Haven, but also of Connecticut, New England, and the United States as well as Britain during the colonial period. An excellent book for anyone interested in American history or history in general.

Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: The book is a history of New Haven from the Native Americans and first Puritan settlers to the present age. Sletcher covers a lot of material and events over the centuries but manages to get it all in while making it easy for the reader to follow and understand the origins and developments of this often overlooked New England town/city. He points to the uniqueness of New Haven from its founding (i.e. its adoption of a scriptural law code and the absence of trials by jury, which did not feature in other New England settlements), and its relationship with other New England settlements and the rest of the nation. This is a superb book for students of history or for those with an interest in local or regional history.