Providence Island, 1630-1641 : The Other Puritan Colony

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding work of original research
Review: This work by Karen Ordahl Kupperman should be required reading for anyone interested in the roots of english "civilization" in the Americas. Kupperman pulls out of the dustbin of the archives the intriguing story of Providence Island, off the coast of central america & in the midst of then-powerful spanish colonies, to elucidate the motives of the puritan founding fathers. By so doing, Kupperman adds greatly to our often stereotyped insights about the differences between the "US" colonies (most notably, Massachusetts & Virginia), and the influence of environment, composition of migrants, & support from the home island. Kupperman also brought to my attention, for the first time in so bold a way, the hooks between the puritan founding class & the englishman who overthrew Charles I & involved themselves, in one way or another, in the administration of Cromwell.