Providence Island, 1630-1641: The Other Puritan Colony [Paperback]

Karen Ordahl Kupperman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0521558352 | ISBN-13: 978-0521558358

Providence Island was founded in 1630 at the same time as Massachusetts Bay by English puritans who thought an island off the coast of Nicaragua was far more promising than the cold, rocky shores of New England. Although they expected theirs to become a model godly society, the settlement never succeeded in building the kind of united and orderly community that the New Englanders created. In fact, they began large-scale use of slaves, and plunged into the privateering that invited the colony's extinction by the Spanish in 1641. As a well-planned and well-financed failure, Providence Island offers historians a standard by which to judge other colonies. By examining the failure of Providence Island, the author illuminates the common characteristics in all the successful English settlements, the key institutions without which men and women would not emigrate and a colony's economy could not thrive. This study of Providence Island reveals the remarkable similarities in many basic institutions among the early colonial regions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kupperman's examination of Providence Island thus presents an unusual and hitherto largely hidden case in the wide-ranging experimentation of the English in the early settlement of the Americas. It will contribute to fresh assessments of Puritanism, slavery and the burgeoning market economy, and the English political situation to the process. This is a model work of scholarship built not only on wide ranging primary sources but also a sure and unpretentious grasp of a number of specialized secondary literatures." American Historical Review

"Kupperman's study sparkles in its attention to the comparative aspects of colonization and to the context of English political, religious, economic, and diplomatic circumstances that shaped patterns of colonial life in the West Indies. ... In resurrecting the story and articulating the significance of Providence Island, Kupperman has crafted a richly contextualized and noteworthy study for those interested in Puritanism and English colonization in the Atlantic." Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"...well written, both scholarly and readable....This excellent book will give you a new slant on early colonial history." Stephanie Martin, Wilson Library Bulletin

"[A] pioneering and energetic book....This is a marvelous work, an example of the study of great ideas and processes in a very small place. For this reason, if no other, Providence Island should be read with widened eyes by those in search either of West Indianness or of New England exceptionalism." Hilary McD. Beckles, William and Mary Quarterly

"Kupperman has effectively rescued Providence Island from obscurity and used its story to shed new light on the process of English colonization that we thought we knew so well." Virginia deJohn Anderson, The Journal of American History

"This is an extremely interesting and frequently thought-provoking book, and it is as revealing about English society on the eve of its Civil War as it is about the assumptions and circumstances of English colonization." Helena M. Wall, Reviews in American History

"...this account of Providence Island makes a valuable correction to the course of colonial history -- one that no historian of seventeenth-century America or England can afford to ignore." Virginia Bernhard, The Journal of Southern History

Book Description

This book examines the failure of Providence Island which was set up by English puritans in 1630 and extinct by 1641, offering historians a standard by which to judge other colonies. The author illuminates the common characteristics in all the successful English settlements and reveals the remarkable similarities in many basic institutions among the early colonial regions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521558352
• ISBN-13: 978-0521558358
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,016,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding work of original research, November 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Providence Island, 1630-1641: The Other Puritan Colony (Paperback)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Providence Island and the Rich family, April 19, 2011

By 

Debra - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Providence Island, 1630-1641: The Other Puritan Colony (Paperback)

What can I say? It is a comprehensive coverage of the settlement and loss of Providence Island and of the people involved. Not a pretty history at times but interesting.

Any one studying their "Rich" family heritage will be more than amply rewarded for reading the book. For others - it is an interesting and educational read.

0 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Providence Island, 1630-1641, February 19, 2007

By 

Elaine G. Dorsett "cowgirl" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Providence Island, 1630-1641: The Other Puritan Colony (Paperback)

Interesting, though a bit disjointed in flow. I purchased the book to find out more about My ancestor, John Adcock, a settler. There was only one reference to him. Was hoping for details on the settlers, origins, their life and jobs on Providence Island, and what became of them.