The Colonial Era

"A stunning collection of familiar and newly mined sources that introduces students firsthand to the breadth of Atlantic world experiences of Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans."
Jean R. Soderlund, Lehigh University

"This remarkable collection encourages students to glimpse the many faces of colonial America, sample the varied sources historians use, and, most important, think critically about how we know the past."
Daniel K. Richter, University of Pennsylvania

"Clemens has assembled a challenging array of primary documents that highlight the extraordinary Atlantic dimensions of British America. His blend of private, published, and institutional sources sheds light on important topics ranging from exploration, cross-cultural encounters, and labor systems to the quest for enlightenment, salvation, civility, profit, and survival on an American frontier stretching beyond the Thirteen Colonies. This is an immensely valuable collection that will provoke lively classroom discussions."
Michael Jarvis, University of Rochester

"Distinguished by its carefully chosen, substantial, and well-edited documents, this superb reader also offers a thoughtful introduction, thought-provoking discussion questions, helpful guidance for further exploration, and useful, unobtrusive headnotes to the texts. Who could ask for more?"
Fred Anderson, University of Colorado at Boulder

"This remarkable reader offers students a wide range and diverse set of documents, which in turn provide a compelling and comprehensive view of colonial America. It is a superb collection."
Philip Morgan, Johns Hopkins University

"These marvellously diverse documents will introduce students to the full complexity of colonial America, and Professor Clemens's expert commentaries should inspire students to reconsider the very nature of historical analysis."
Steve Sarson, University of Wales, Swansea