Bernard Bailyn has recently reinterpreted the early history of the United States by applying new social research findings on the experiences of European migrants．In his reinterpretation，migration becomes the organizing principle for rewriting the history of preindustrial North America．His approach rests on four separate propositions．

The first of these asserts that residents of early modern England moved regularly about their countryside；migrating to the New World was simply a“natural spillover”．Although at first the colonies held little positive attraction for the English--They would rather have stayed home—by the eighteenth century people increasingly migrated to America because they regarded it as the land of opportunity．

Secondly，Bailyn holds that，contrary to the notion that used to flourish in America history textbooks，there was never a typical New World community．For example，the economic and demographic character of early New England towns varied considerably．

Bailyn’s third proposition suggests two general patterns prevailing among the many thousands of migrants：one group came as indentured servants，another came to acquire land．Surprisingly，Bailyn suggests that those who recruited indentured servants were the driving forces of transatlantic migration．

These colonial entrepreneurs helped determine the social character of people who came to preindustrial North America．At first，thousands of unskilled laborers were recruited；by the 1730’s，however，American employers demanded skilled artisans．

Finally，Bailyn argues that the colonies were a half-civilized hinterland of the European culture system．He is undoubtedly correct to insist that the colonies were part of an Anglo—American empire．

But to divide the empire into English core and colonial periphery，as Bailyn does，devalues the achievements of colonial culture.It is true．as Bailyn claims that high culture in the colonies never matched that in England．But what of seventeenth—c

• A.Bailyn underestimates the effects of Puritan thought on North American culture
• B.Bailyn overemphasizes the economic dependence of the colonies on Great Britain
• C.Bailyn’s description of the colonies as part of an Anglo-American empire is misleading and incorrect
• D.Bailyn failed to test his propositions on a specific group of migrants to colonial North America