John Winthrop City Upon A Hill Analysis

In John Winthrop’s essay “City Upon a Hill”, Winthrop expresses his distinct views on the aims of the Puritans coming to New England. During the early 17th century in Europe, some groups separated from the Church of England. These groups were known as the Pilgrims, who founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. This religion had a direct impact on religious ideas and culture in America. John Winthrop acquired a royal charter from King Charles I and created the Massachusetts Bay Colony. “City Upon a Hill” was written on the ship during the first mass Puritan migration to New England. This document provided the followers with a plan regarding their goals upon arriving in America. Winthrop firmly believes that the people who are willing to be fully

John Winthrop, the first governor sought to establish a “city upon a hill” or a model religious and civil society based on a covenant with God and one another

John Winthrop came to America in March of 1629, the colony where he lived was later called the Massachusetts Bay Colony (166). Shortly after arriving in America, Winthrop was named the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His sermon “A Model of Christian Charity”, later Winthrop was called a “model of a perfect earthly ruler” by Cotton Mather (166). Matter also drew attention to the fact that Winthrop’s idea of a community was “perfectly selfless” and “impossible to realize in fact” (166). This goes to show further that because America had not yet developed, but instead was starting to form Winthrop had an ideal of what he hoped an American community would come to be like. Winthrop gave this sermon to future Americans before they had departed from England (166). I believe that he gave this speech before departing for America because he wanted to implement what he believed an American community should embody. Winthrop’s sermon embodies

The decades surged by and thoughts other than religion began to crowd the minds of the American people. The smoldering ideas of independence, enlightenment, and innovation elicited a new mentality in America. Puritan ideals were not held as high, for other religious sects had taken their place. The stringencies of the Puritan lifestyle wafted away as America grew in its diversity, but the Puritan mindset was rooted in the soil and could not be torn away. The words that John Winthrop had spoken on the Arabella were held at the base of the country, “For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”

Ø City Upon a Hill- The term “City Upon a Hill” was a significant term that was said by a Puritan governor named John Winthrop when 11 ships sailed from England to Massachusetts. All of these people were the example of rightful living in the New World and were guided by the belief of Predestination, where God had already decided their ultimate fate. Governor Winthrop stated that: "We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us."

John Winthrop speaks of how people should devote themselves to God and disregard all that interferes with that endeavor in A Model of Christian Charity. This was most likely written for the people in the Massachusetts Bay Colony because that area was settled primarily by Puritans. He suggests that the only way in which this is possible is to join into a brotherhood of sorts. This shows his Puritanism and that of others because Puritans were very determined people in becoming closer to God. Puritans did not even allow art, dancing, or music to be in churches. This is so that no distractions can be in place between the worshipper and God.

In Edmund S. Morgan’s, The Puritan Dilemma, it was evident that John Winthrop focused his entire life around glorifying God, in turn creating a government that did the same. This ideology translated into the way he shaped and structured Puritan society. Winthrop first focused on the formation of a community of unity and harmony, then built a government that fostered it. All of the governmental structures in place were supporting one main focus of the Puritan society being “a city on a hill.” Citation Further, Puritan society was to act as an example for the surrounding colonies of godly living. Harmony was backed by their ideals of

New England’s colony had an elected governor who led the people. He was not a priest because the settlers wanted to move away from England’s church-specific leadership. However, in the Puritans’ church centered community, the lines between church and state were blurred, if not seen all. The Puritans held town hall meetings involving the community, but the court system was heavily weaved with the Church. Winthrop wrote about how Puritans must “consider [themselves] as a city upon a hill” (Doc A). The birthplace of American exceptionalism found its roots in Winthrop’s sermon. Contrary to Massachusetts, the Jamestown colonists had a governor who believed the fall of Jamestown would have its people sent into a frenzy from benefitting from its plunder (Doc G). Not only did he believe Jamestown would fail, he was a weak leader who was friends with the King of England. Therefore, he was rich and represented the upper class of Jamestown. Bacon believed “[unworthy parasites’ tottering fortunes] have been repaired and supported at the public charge” (Doc H). Here, parasites refers to the upper class, who Bacon suggested were stealing the wealth from those below. The governments of New England and Chesapeake reflected their inhabitants and the different motives underlying each

* Winthrop wants them to be a city in which everyone can copy, and look up to. They want to be a city upon a hill, literally where they can control everyone around them. They want to be a prosperous yet very close minded estate with no religious tolerance.

Religion plays a major part in many societies, especially the first 13 colonies. Some colonies were even settled solely to have freedom of religion and escape from religious persecution. Massachusetts was one example, as the Puritans first went to Plymouth in 1620 seeking religious freedom. In terms of the New England colonies overall, they remained Puritan. The idea of religious toleration was restricted to only the Puritan religion. A goal of theirs was to establish a “city on a hill”, which they succeeded at by having an atmosphere of “watchfulness” and helping each other. John Winthrop, a Puritan, served as the first Massachusetts Bay Colony governor. Anyone who did not follow this religion were known as

John Winthrop and the Puritans dared to make the dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean for their religious beliefs. The journey was expected to be difficult and the new land was expected to be unlike anything they had ever seen before. They were looking to become just the third group of people to successfully make the trek to the new world. While on the ship destined for what is now known as America, John Winthrop pulled all the Puritans together and delivered to them a speech bestowed upon him from God. Winthrop’s speech was later recorded and renamed “A Model of Christian Charity”. Winthrop uses this sermon to motivate the Puritans as they head for the new world. Winthrop persuades the Puritans to not worry about wealth, to love

New England was a refuge for religious separatists leaving England, while people who immigrated to the Chesapeake region had no religious motives. As a result, New England formed a much more religious society then the Chesapeake region. John Winthrop states that their goal was to form "a city upon a hill", which represented a "pure"

One of the many distinct differences between the societies of the Chesapeake and New England were the religions of the settlers. While many in the Chesapeake were Anglican, the majority of colonists in New England were Puritans. For example, John Winthrop, leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, was a fervent Puritan. While still aboard the Arabella in 1630, he wrote that his colony “...shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us…” (Document A). This means that he wanted the colony to be a model Christian

Winthrop’s political theory developed from an early age. As a religious man, one would expect him to be a preacher, but he found his calling through law and leadership. Because he was such a devout Puritan, he was chosen to spearhead the project of establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which was originally purposed for economic uses. This changed when the group elected him as governor, which altered the purpose of the colony to be more religious in nature. As a result, this group of Christians made an “exodus” from the old world with the mindset of establishing a “true Christian society”, much like the Jews fleeing from Egypt, as described in the first testament, book of Exodus in the Bible. They felt it was not only a privilege but a duty of God, and as the metaphorical and literal hands of God, to uphold the values of a true Puritan society. This cemented in him a purpose to erect a community that would be that “Citty on a Hill” that is so famously quoted.

During the time of English colonization and settlement, John Winthrop wrote many pieces related to the importance of religion in society. These writings include A Model of Christian Charity which focused mainly on Puritan ideas on how to treat one another in order for the colony to survive.Winthrop, a very influential Puritan founder, proposed a society in the new colony of Massachusetts centered around religion and the idea that Puritan beliefs were the only sure way to ensure God’s blessings. Winthrop discusses that it is a civil duty amongst colonists to involve the Puritan religion in everyday life in order to preserve the colony as well as Puritan values. In the piece Winthrop writes that if the colony “ ...shall neglect the observation of these