Description: Using an intensely local lens, McWilliams explores the century-long process whereby the Massachusetts Bay Colony went from a distant outpost of the incipient British Empire to a stable society integrated into the transatlantic economy. An inspiring story of men and women overcoming adversity to build their own society, From the Ground Up reconceptualizes how we have normally thought about New England's economic development
Review Quotes:
"McWilliams has crafted a wonderful book. Through extensive research and lively prose he has constructed a complex and captivating picture of daily life in early New England. He has shown us why minute details about fish, grain, timber, and cloth are not just fun to read but important to understanding the broader historical developments in early American settlement.
--Phyllis Whitman Hunter, author of Purchasing Identity in the Atlantic World