The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop

In 1630, along with hundreds of other settlers, John Winthrop left England for the New World. Because of his ardent Puritan beliefs and natural talent for government and politics, he was appointed governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He became the foremost political leader in the colony for nearly 20 years, including twelve nonconsecutive terms as governor. When Winthrop and these new settlers arrived in the New World, they were aiming to create their own utopia, but they encountered difficulty and dissent.

In The Puritan Dilemma: John Winthrop, biographer Edmund Morgan helps us understand the motivations behind Puritan migration to America and the ideological and political difficulties they faced once they arrived. What does freedom mean? What is the proper role of the individual in society? Alongside the unfolding drama of a developing country, Morgan explores the life of John Winthrop and the core question of what level of responsibility people owe to their community and society.