Bibliograph

City on a hill, a history of American exceptionalism, Abram C. Van Engen

Type

Label

City on a hill, a history of American exceptionalism, Abram C. Van Engen

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Illustrations

mapsillustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

City on a hill

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1111972555

Responsibility statement

Abram C. Van Engen

Sub title

a history of American exceptionalism

Summary

In this illuminating book, Abram Van Engen shows how the phrase "City on a Hill," from a 1630 sermon by Massachusetts Bay governor John Winthrop, shaped the story of American exceptionalism in the twentieth century. By tracing the history of Winthrop's speech, its changing status throughout time, and its use in modern politics, Van Engen asks us to reevaluate our national narratives. He tells the story of curators, librarians, collectors, archivists, antiquarians, and often anonymous figures who emphasized the role of the Pilgrims and Puritans in American history, paving the way for the saving and sanctifying of a single sermon. This sermon's rags-to-riches rise reveals the way national stories take shape and shows us how those tales continue to influence competing visions of the country - the many different meanings of America that emerge from its literary past--Book jacket

resource.variantTitle

History of American exceptionalism

Classification

Creator