A history of the American people, Vol. 1 [of 5] : The swarming of the English

This first volume traces the beginnings of English America, starting before European arrival and then widening into a history of exploration, competition, migration, and settlement. It introduces the Indigenous societies encountered by Europeans, the ambitions that drove Atlantic voyages, and the changing European claims to the continent.

The narrative follows the establishment of Virginia, New Netherland, New Plymouth, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, Carolina, and Pennsylvania, showing how each colony developed its own character and challenges. Along the way, it considers religious conviction, commercial enterprise, relations with Native peoples, struggles for political control, and the upheavals of the English Civil Wars and Restoration. Richly supported by maps, portraits, facsimiles, and contemporary views, this volume offers listeners a broad, documentary-style introduction to the colonial world that preceded the American nation.