Building a New Jerusalem John Davenport, a Puritan in Three Worlds Francis J. Bremer

The life of John Davenport, who co-founded the colony of New Haven, has long been overshadowed by his reputation as the most draconian of all Puritan leaders in New England - a reputation he earned due to his opposition to many of the changes that were transforming New England in the post-Restoration era. In this first biography of Davenport, Francis J. Bremer shows that he was in many ways actually a remarkably progressive leader for his time, with a strong commitment to education for both women and men, a vibrant interest in new science, and a dedication to promoting and upholding democratic principles in his congregation at a time when many other Puritan clergymen were emphasizing the power of their office above all else. Bremer's enlightening and accessible biography of an important figure in New England history provides a unique perspective on the seventeenth-century transatlantic Puritan movement.

Francis J. Bremer is professor of history and chair of the history department at Millersville University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction and biographies of Anne Hutchinson and John Winthrop.

Finalist for the 2013 New England Society Book Awards in the Nonfiction category.--Book Award"New England Society" (04/02/2013)