3 ms·

These recent articles around the Thanksgiving holiday are making me realize just how little I know about the early colonial period of the Americas. Are there a

by khrbrt 6y ago

These recent articles around the Thanksgiving holiday are making me realize just how little I know about the early colonial period of the Americas. Are there any books on the period yall would recommend?

NateEag 6y ago
If you want to know about the Pilgrims specifically, William Bradford's firsthand account is the gold standard: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation
- SiVal 6y ago
  I definitely agree, but before reading Bradford, I strongly suggest watching this: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/pilgrims/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/pilgrims/ I seems to be available free online at the moment. You can also pay to watch on some services. You hear Bradford's actual words spoken by a fine actor in the context of the events he was describing. (They really are his words, not modernized, so some viewers might want to turn on closed captioning.) It's not perfect, but it's the best introduction I know to set the stage for reading Bradford's story of Plymouth. I also suggest establishing a broader foundation in the early colonies with something like the Teaching Company's lectures on America before 1776, available in audio form from Audible.com, which allows one to establish a historical foundation while doing mind-numbing chores like doing the dishes or cleaning the garage.
nudpiedo 6y ago
Maybe you should read the The Conquest of Florida by Hernando de Soto (1541) you can find his actual diary notes and letters in spanish or some book adaptation in english as the one from Theodore Irving. For the spanish settling in america was mostly setting ties and allies with native populations, often as exchange of technology or accepting to fight against a local historical enemy from the communities. You might also find interesting the biography of Don Juan de Onate, also named "the last Conquistador" who dominated the whole south of nowadays USA and built communities, ended up civilizating the zone, etc.

by khrbrt 6y ago

NateEag 6y ago

If you want to know about the Pilgrims specifically, William Bradford's firsthand account is the gold standard: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation

SiVal 6y ago
I definitely agree, but before reading Bradford, I strongly suggest watching this: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/pilgrims/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/pilgrims/ I seems to be available free online at the moment. You can also pay to watch on some services. You hear Bradford's actual words spoken by a fine actor in the context of the events he was describing. (They really are his words, not modernized, so some viewers might want to turn on closed captioning.) It's not perfect, but it's the best introduction I know to set the stage for reading Bradford's story of Plymouth. I also suggest establishing a broader foundation in the early colonies with something like the Teaching Company's lectures on America before 1776, available in audio form from Audible.com, which allows one to establish a historical foundation while doing mind-numbing chores like doing the dishes or cleaning the garage.

nudpiedo 6y ago

Maybe you should read the The Conquest of Florida by Hernando de Soto (1541) you can find his actual diary notes and letters in spanish or some book adaptation in english as the one from Theodore Irving. For the spanish settling in america was mostly setting ties and allies with native populations, often as exchange of technology or accepting to fight against a local historical enemy from the communities. You might also find interesting the biography of Don Juan de Onate, also named "the last Conquistador" who dominated the whole south of nowadays USA and built communities, ended up civilizating the zone, etc.