Perry Miller was a seminal figure in American intellectual history, renowned for his deep engagement with American Puritanism. As a founder of American Studies, he pioneered a cultural approach to understanding historical worldviews, shifting focus from previous psychological and economic analyses. His rigorous scholarship illuminated complex ideas and significantly shaped the study of American thought. Miller's influence extended beyond academia, mentoring future scholars and inspiring literary figures.
The title of this book by Perry Miller, a world-famous interpreter of the American past, nearly poses the question it has been his lifelong purpose to answer: What was the underlying aim of the first colonists in coming to America? Miller emphasizes the need for understanding the human sources from which the American mainstream has risen.