17th Century America

Back in the 17th century, the area that would eventually become the United States of America was still just the "New World." Native Americans and European settlers lived side-by-side, but populations were small and there wasn't a whole lot going on besides bare survival. Modern historians like to picture white people stepping ashore with guns blazing, when in fact early relations between European settlers and Indians was often peaceful and cooperative.

The South American scene was considerably different. Most of the first European visitors weren't there for primarily religious reasons (as was true of the Pilgrims and Puritans in North America), and the natives they encountered were more violent than their northern counterparts. The result was a lot of bloodshed and fire, and names like Cortes and Columbus are still bad words in many South American countries.

In the New England colonies, however, God was uppermost in the minds of most people. Jamestown was the first English colony in the New World, and it wasn't particularly religious, but the second one was Plymouth and it was the first American home of the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims were Puritan in doctrine but Seperatist in practice, believing that the Church of England was beyond repair and that dedicated Christians had no choice but to leave it. They did, settling first in Holland, and in 1620 founding Plymouth Plantation in what would become Massachusetts.

The Puritans came not much later. Their intention was a little more ambitious than the Pilgrim project: not content with simply fleeing the shadow of a state church, they intended to build a Christian community in which the Law of God determined the civic laws, and where there was little distinction between sacred and secular law. Modern Americans often balk at this, but the Puritans weren't concerned with human wisdom, they were wholly informed by a desire to practice holiness and godly devotion.

Don't think they were all witch-hunters and dour black-clad killjoys, either. The Puritans enjoyed life as much as the next person, and while they were susceptible to ignorance and sin just like any other group of human beings, they were continually given to thanking God for the material and spiritual blessings He'd bestowed on them.

Their influence was largely responsible for the inclusion of Christian moral standards within the U.S. Constitution, for while the Enlightenment humanism of Franklin and Jefferson is clearly present, so too is the Puritan heritage of many of the Founding Fathers. As Christians, we also can thank God and praise Him for providing such forefathers for His children in the New World.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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65 Items found Print
Active Filters: 6th grade (Ages 11-12), In-Stock Books & Materials
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
by Catherine O'Neill Grace
from National Geographic
for 4th-6th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Almost Home
Daughters of the Faith
by Wendy G. Lawton
from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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American Heritage History of the Indian Wars
by Robert M. Utley, Wilcomb E. Washburn
Revised from American Heritage Publishing Co.
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in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Anne of Jamestown
by Anne Price-Hardister, illustrated by Ruby Gardner
from Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
for 2nd-6th grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Black Man in America
from Franklin Watts
for 6th-12th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Blood on the River: James Town, 1607
by Elisa Carbone
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$8.99
Blue Birds
by Caroline Starr Rose
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Captain John Smith
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
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$11.99
Captive
by Scott O'Dell
from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Hans Christian Anderson Award
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$9.00 (2 in stock)
Cavalier and Puritan Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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in Costume & Fashion Coloring Books (Location: COL-FAS)
$4.99
Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: New World
from Classical Conversations
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Classical Acts & Facts Cards (Location: HISCUR-CC)
$24.99
Colonial and Early American Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Colonial Kids
by Laurie Carlson
1st edition from Chicago Review Press
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in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Down Ryton Water
by E.R. Gaggin
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
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1942 Newbery Honor
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Early American Crafts & Occupations - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
Early American History for Intermediate Grades (really old)
by Rea Berg
from Beautiful Feet Books
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$29.95
Early American Trades - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Eating the Plates
by Lucille Recht Penner
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Eating the Plates
by Lucille Recht Penner
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
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Everyday Dress of the American Colonial Period - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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Faith Unfurled
from History Compass
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Guests
by Michael Dorris
from Hyperion/Madison Press
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Heart Strangely Warmed
by Louise A. Vernon
from Herald Press
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History of US Book 2
History of US Book 2
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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$15.95 $11.00 (3 in stock)
Homes in the Wilderness
by William Bradford
from Purple House Press
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$9.99
Jamestown Settlement
by Nancy Egloff
from Bicast Publishing Co.
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Journey to the New World
Dear America
by Kathryn, Lasky
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th Grade
in Dear America Books (Location: SER-DEAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Landing of the Pilgrims
Landmark Series
by James Daugherty
from Random House
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$6.99
Liberty Letters: The Story of Pocahontas, 1613
Liberty Letters
by Nancy LeSourd
1st edition from Zondervan
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Life in Colonial America - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Peter F. Copeland
from Dover Publications
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$5.99
Light and the Glory for Children
by Peter Marshall & David Manuel
from Revell Publishing
American History Reference for 4th-6th grade
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Lion to Guard Us
by Clyde Robert Bulla
from HarperCollins
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Lost Colony of Roanoke
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
from Putnam Juvenile
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Mary of Plymouth
by James Otis
from A Beka Books
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Mayflower II
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Mayflower Secret
Trailblazer Books
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Mighty Mastiff of the Mayflower
by Peter Arenstam, illustrated by Karen Busch Holman
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Out of Many Waters
by Jacqueline Dembar Greene
from Backinprint.com
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$13.95
Paradox of Jamestown (1585-1700)
The Drama of American History
by Christopher Collier & James Lincoln Collier
from Benchmark Books
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Peter and the Pilgrims
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Pilgrim Stories
by Margaret Pumphrey
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$11.95
Pilgrim Voices
by Connie Roop, Peter Roop, eds.
from Walker and Company
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Plymouth Colony
by Andrew Santella
from Compass Point Books
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in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims
by Rush Limbaugh
from Threshold Editions
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Saints and Strangers
by George F. Wilson
from Time Inc.
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Seeds of a Nation - Massachusetts
by Don Nardo
from KidHaven Press
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$3.50 (2 in stock)
Serpent Never Sleeps
by Scott O'Dell
from Fawcett Books
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$3.50 (1 in stock)
Settlers on a Strange Shore
by Edith S. McCall
from Children's Press
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Stink Alley
by Jamie Gilson
from HarperCollins
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Struggle for a Continent
The American Story Series
by Betsy & Giulio Maestro
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 3rd-6th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$18.99
Surviving Jamestown
by Gail Karwoski
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
for 3rd-12th grade
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Thanksgiving Primer
from Plimoth Plantation Publication
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$3.50 (5 in stock)
This Dear-Bought Land
by Jean Lee Latham
from Bob Jones University Press
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$11.99
This Dear-Bought Land
by Jean Lee Latham
from Harper & Row
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$56.00 (1 in stock)
United States History: Puritans & Pilgrims
The Time Traveler Series
by Jane Pofahl
Activity from T.S. Denison & Company
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Veritas Press Explorers to 1815 - Set
from Veritas Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
Voyage to Freedom
by David Gay
from Banner of Truth Trust
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$12.00
Warrior's Challenge
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
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in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$8.99
What Was the First Thanksgiving?
What Was?
by Joan Holub, illustrated by Lauren Mortimer
1st edition from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-6th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
from PaperStar Books
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
$6.99
Who's That Stepping on Plymouth Rock?
by Jean Fritz
from Coward McCann
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$5.00 (2 in stock)
William Bradford
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
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$11.99
William Bradford of Plymouth Colony
by W.J. Jacobs
from Franklin Watts
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Medal winner
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$9.99