Description
Book SynopsisFour hundred years ago, a group of men and women who had challenged the religious establishment of early seventeenth-century England and struggled as refugees in the Netherlands risked everything to build a new community in America. The story of those who journeyed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower has been retold many times, but the faith and religious practices of these settlers has frequently been neglected or misunderstood.In One Small Candle, Francis J. Bremer focuses on the role of religion in the settlement of the Plymouth Colony and how those values influenced political, intellectual, and cultural aspects of New England life a hundred and fifty years before the American Revolution. He traces the Puritans'' persecution in early seventeenth-century England for challenging the established national church and the difficulties they faced as refugees in the Netherlands in the 1610s. As they planted a colony in America, this group of puritan congregationalists was driven by the belief that ordinary men and women should play the deciding role in governing church affairs. Their commitment to lay empowerment and participatory democracy was reflected in congregational church covenants and inspired the earliest political forms of the region, including the Mayflower Compact and local New England town meetings. Their rejection of individual greed and focus on community, Bremer argues, defined the culture of English colonization in early North America.A timely narrative of the people who founded the Plymouth Colony, One Small Candle casts new light on the role of religion in the shaping of the United States.
Trade ReviewBremer's ability to penetrate the English and Dutch side of the Plymouth settlers' story and succinctly break down the painstaking minutia of religious conflicts and convictions at play must be appreciated for the difficult work it is. * Drew Lopenzina, Early American Literature *
Francis Bremer's One Small Candle, focusing on the crucial early history of the colony, offers what will remain for many years the definitive account of early Plymouth's religious history. * Evan Haefeli, Journal of Early American History *
Frequently using the perspective of English puritan William Brewster, this history shows Bremer's mastery of puritan sources, history, and historiography, and also marks the 400th anniversary of the colonization at Plymouth. This book covers a fairly brief period of time and a small group of people, giving space for a close examination, focusing mainly on religious history but also including book history, Native history, and biographical details. * Jordan Landes, H-Early-America *
Bremer's One Small Candle, focusing on the crucial early history of the colony, offers what will remain for many years the definitive account of early Plymouth's religious history....Combing through all the existing evidence and setting it firmly within its contemporary context, Bremer makes a very compelling case that the Plymouth church system provided the model for that of Massachusetts. * Evan Haefeli, Journal of Early American History *
Established scholars will also find it engaging. Summing Up: Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. * C. R. Esh, CHOICE *
Bremer marries a relevant thesis to a nuanced treatment of the major characters and churches in the Plymouth story... Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. * C. R. Esh, Houghton College *
Bremer's brief examination of the Puritans who settled the Plymouth Colony synthesizes a senior scholar's lifetime of research on Puritanism while offering his fresh reinterpretation of Plymouth's significance.... His book works best as an introduction to the Pilgrims for graduate seminars in Colonial history and American religion. Established scholars will also find it engaging. * Choice *
Francis Bremer...has devoted most of his scholarly career to the study of 'New England Beginnings,' and is particularly situated to look at the big picture; this book is very much the product of that vision. While summaries of the work note that this is a study of the role of religion in the settlement of the Plymouth Colony, it is much more than that—much more....There is real value in the conciseness of Bremer's presentation and an elegance in its brevity....One Small Candle stands above the stormy sea of books about the Mayflower that have been produced leading up to the 400th anniversary, and illuminates not only the religious background of the Pilgrims, but the big picture of their lives, community, and culture. * Mayflower Quarterly Magazine *
This book shines a light on a period and a culture that contributed greatly to the formation of our best institutions, educational, political, and cultural. It is rare to see a historian treat the Puritans with real objectivity, allowing a generous acknowledgement of the contributions their democratic and reformist ethos made at a crucial time in our history. * Marilynne Robinson, author of Gilead *
Francis Bremer's One Small Candle is a remarkable achievement. Drawing on the latest scholarship about the Native peoples of New England and centering his narrative on the Plymouth puritans' religiosity, Bremer replaces Americans' myths about dark-garbed 'Pilgrims' and the purported 'First Thanksgiving' with a well-crafted, historically accurate account of Plymouth Colony that should attract many interested readers. * Mary Beth Norton, author of Founding Mothers & Fathers: Gendered Power and the Forming of American Society *
There is no one better than Francis Bremer, after a lifetime of research on early America, to introduce an old story in an absorbingly new way. One of the great founding narratives of American life is here seen through the eyes of a scholar who leads us on a clear and accessible path and reminds us that this is a tale of two cultures meeting as much as it is an epic of Pilgrim Parents. * Diarmaid MacCulloch, University of Oxford *
Francis Bremer's definitive account of the high ideals of Plymouth Colony is a rich and moving narrative of the experiment in congregationalism that was the blueprint for a participatory democracy. In a masterly synthesis of existing scholarship, the eminent historian of New England cuts away myths about women's roles, relations with native Americans, and the links with other colonies. * Rebecca Fraser, author of The Mayflower: The Families, the Voyage, and the Founding of America *
Table of ContentsPrologue: Disease and Death in Early Plymouth Introduction Chapter 1: The Religious Scene in Early Modern England Chapter 2: To Tarry or Not to Tarry Chapter 3: Refugees Chapter 4: Setting a New Course Chapter 5: Dawn Land Chapter 6: Small Beginnings Chapter 7: The Godly Community Chapter 8: Sustaining the Vision Chapter 9: Plymouth and the Bay Chapter 10: Congregationalism Advanced Conclusion: Defending Plymouth Congregationalism Acknowledgments Notes Bibliographic Essay Index
