"American Colonies" by Alan Taylor and Eric Foner is a comprehensive and detailed exploration of the colonial period in North America. The authors provide a fresh perspective on early American history, delving into the interactions between colonists, natives, and other nations that settled in North America. The narrative covers a wide range of topics, from the struggles and conflicts between different groups to the exploration, trade, and social customs of the time. The authors present a balanced view of the colonial era, shedding light on both the positive and negative aspects of this period in American history.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is clear and engaging, characterized by its factual objectivity and a broad yet concise presentation of historical events, facilitating a stimulating read.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot covers 300 years of North American colonization, detailing the interactions and impacts of multiple cultural groups and nations, emphasizing a broad viewpoint of history rather than a singular narrative.

Setting:

The setting spans the diverse geography of North America, covering various regions and contexts from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Pacing:

The pacing is broad and sweeping, favoring a fast-paced survey-like approach over in-depth examination of specific topics.

Temple and cabin of the chief of the Acolapissa, 1732, by Alexandre de Batz. In the lower Mississippi Valley, in the early eighteenth century, French colonizers found vestiges of the Mississippian cul...

Genres:

historical nonfiction

academic

textbook

Topics:

Notes:

The book marks its 20th anniversary and remains relevant today.

Alan Taylor highlights the roles of Native Americans and African slaves as central figures in colonial history, not just footnotes.

In addition to the British, other European powers like the French, Spanish, and Russians played significant roles in early America.

The geographic scope of colonization reached from Alaska to the Caribbean sugar islands.

Disease spread by Europeans was a major factor, leading to a dramatic decline of Native populations, killing off around 90%.

The narrative is broad and shallow but still intellectually engaging, serving as a useful overview for those studying this period.

Taylor avoids value judgments, presenting a multifaceted perspective on colonial struggles without bias.

The book was meant to be the first in a series, but only one other volume was completed.

It offers a fresh perspective, moving beyond the traditional Anglo-American focus in history.

Taylor effectively weaves multiple themes into a cohesive narrative that explains the complexities of colonial history.

Readers find that the book includes both grim accounts and interesting aspects of politics, trade, and social customs during the colonial era.

The volume is praised as an outstanding introduction to pre-Revolutionary American history, suitable for a wide audience.

Taylor's insights into chattel slavery are condensed yet informative, providing a clear introduction to the subject.

The book helps contextualize the various experiences and conflicts of European colonizers, Native Americans, and African slaves through detailed descriptions of individual actions and decisions.

It is recommended for anyone looking to understand the intricacies of American history before the Revolution, making it a valuable resource for students and educators alike.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include medium, due to discussions of violence, slavery, disease, and the treatment of native populations.

From The Publisher:

A multicultural, multinational history of colonial America from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Internal Enemy and American Revolutions In the first volume in the Penguin History of the United States, edited by Eric Foner, Alan Taylor challenges the traditional story of colonial history by examining the many cultures that helped make America, from the native inhabitants from milennia past, through the decades of Western colonization and conquest, and across the entire continent, all the way to the Pacific coast.

Transcending the usual Anglocentric version of our colonial past, he recovers the importance of Native American tribes, African slaves, and the rival empires of France, Spain, the Netherlands, and even Russia in the colonization of North America. Moving beyond the Atlantic seaboard to examine the entire continent, American Colonies reveals a pivotal period in the global interaction of peoples, cultures, plants, animals, and microbes.

In a vivid narrative, Taylor draws upon cutting-edge scholarship to create a timely picture of the colonial world characterized by an interplay of freedom and slavery, opportunity and loss.

"Formidable . . . provokes us to contemplate the ways in which residents of North America have dealt with diversity." -The New York Times Book Review

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American Colonies

Alan Taylor, Eric Foner