They Knew They Were Pilgrims

What Turner achieves, in what will surely become the definitive history of the Plymouth Colony, is a double perspective...He is excellent at exploring the paradoxes of Calvinist determinism...and deftly untangles knotty concepts such as Arminianism and the Halfway Covenant. He allows us to admire the Pilgrims' persistence, endeavour and energy...while giving a clear-eyed assessment of their intolerance and occasional inhumanity. -Richard Francis, Spectator John G. Turner's superbly detailed new history of the colony looks at what Turner calls the contest for American liberty. -Rebecca Fraser, Times Literary Supplement This highly important book will become the new standard work on the Plymouth Colony. -Thomas Kidd, author of Who Is an Evangelical? They Knew They were Pilgrims is a deeply-researched must-read for anyone interested in the Pilgrims and in the history of 17th-century Plymouth Colony. -Michael P. Winship, author of Hot Protestants This is 'Pilgrim' history from start to finish-all the way from the stirrings of 'separatism' in late sixteenth-century England to the absorbing of Plymouth Colony into Massachusetts in 1691. Told with unusual lucidity, Turner's narrative avoids the myths of the Pilgrims as founders of our democracy or 'Congregationalism.' -David D. Hall, author of The Puritans: A Transatlantic History Turner takes readers deep into the complex world the Pilgrims inhabited, giving an old familiar story remarkable new life and power. The story he tells is at once entertaining, erudite, and wonderfully human. -Margaret Bendroth, author of The Last Puritans Compulsively readable, lively, and engaging. Turner summarizes the best of recent scholarship and also digs into the primary records-published and archival-for fresh perspectives on Plymouth Colony. History buffs and scholars alike will enjoy this addition to the literature. -Jenny Hale Pulsipher, author of Swindler Sachem