City Upon a hill
The puritans set sail from England with a dream. Their new nation would be a guiding light. It would be an example for the whole world and John Winthrop spoke of a 'City Upon A Hill' which was the Puritan vision for America and it continues to this day. The "City upon a hill" was an American Dream that was positively tapping into the energy of that inspiring vision of a perfect society. The city that they saw was a perfect reflection and an image of the Holy City of God.
The “City upon a Hill” section of the sermon was written in 1630 by the Puritan leader John Winthrop while the first group of Puritan emigrants was still onboard their ship, the Arbella, waiting to land and settle in what would become New England. By 1629 a lot of puritan had migrated to Massachusetts which is also referred as “Great Migration .The “City upon a Hill” was Puritan pridefulness. They thought they were perfect, a city on a hill that everyone else would admire and want to emulate. The “Great Migration” ended around 1639 to 1642 and that resulted in huge economic collapse.
The puritan’s way of succeeding the people and land was through loving each and caring each other. Their motto was “abridging ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities” i.e. there will be wealth equality, no one shall live in luxury while other starve. Their aim not to mandate or forced religious faith on anyone. It will be generated naturally by the hope and love and faith of the people themselves. To Winthrop, the main aim here was not to make any individual or him famous. It was more about serving God which mattered most to him and the puritans.
The idea of "American Exceptionalism" here is pretty much justified because the “city on a hill” doesn’t means it’s perfect, it means visible to the world. John Winthrop and the puritans dreamt of a shining “city upon a hill” and that vision of a religion nation under god is still a major driving sprite in America today.
The “City upon a Hill” section of the sermon was written in 1630 by the Puritan leader John Winthrop while the first group of Puritan emigrants was still onboard their ship, the Arbella, waiting to land and settle in what would become New England. By 1629 a lot of puritan had migrated to Massachusetts which is also referred as “Great Migration .The “City upon a Hill” was Puritan pridefulness. They thought they were perfect, a city on a hill that everyone else would admire and want to emulate. The “Great Migration” ended around 1639 to 1642 and that resulted in huge economic collapse.
The puritan’s way of succeeding the people and land was through loving each and caring each other. Their motto was “abridging ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of others necessities” i.e. there will be wealth equality, no one shall live in luxury while other starve. Their aim not to mandate or forced religious faith on anyone. It will be generated naturally by the hope and love and faith of the people themselves. To Winthrop, the main aim here was not to make any individual or him famous. It was more about serving God which mattered most to him and the puritans.
The idea of "American Exceptionalism" here is pretty much justified because the “city on a hill” doesn’t means it’s perfect, it means visible to the world. John Winthrop and the puritans dreamt of a shining “city upon a hill” and that vision of a religion nation under god is still a major driving sprite in America today.