A passionate and unparalleled look at the lives of the American colonists by the best-selling author of Benjamin Franklin. "This book amounts to an intellectual autobiography....These pieces are thus a statement of what I have thought about early Americans during nearly seventy years in their company," writes historian Edmund S. Morgan. Dividing his work into twenty-four essays with sections on "New Englanders," "Southerners," and "Revolutionaries," Morgan examines the history of the American colonies from the arrival of the first settlers in 1607 to the radical changes brought forth by the American Revolution. Filled with illuminating discussions of American leaders, including Winthrop, Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, the book is extraordinary in its rangefrom the (quite lusty) sex lives of the Puritans to the witch trials in Salem and the corrosive effects of slavery on the soul of Virginia. No living historian has had a more profound role in shaping our perceptions of the American colonies than Morgan, and The Genuine Article reflects the genius of this modest giant like no other previous work.