![]() “An elegant piece of historical detective work. “Engaging and substantive.”-Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal “Van Engen is an elegant, accessible writer, and this is a truly illuminating study of America.”-Ron Charles, Washington Post This sermon’s rags-to-riches rise reveals the way national stories take shape and shows us how they continue to influence competing visions of the country-the many different meanings of America that emerge from its literary past. He tells the story of curators, librarians, collectors, archivists, antiquarians, and other 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 and its eventual transformation into an American tale. By tracing the history of Winthrop’s speech, its changing status through time, and its use in modern politics, Van Engen asks us to reevaluate our national narratives. 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. We can be grateful that Van Engen has taught us so much about the misuses-and the possible appropriate uses-of John Winthrop’s vision.”-Richard Mouw, Comment In this illuminating book, Abram C. Abram Van Engen.”-David Frum, The Atlantic “ important book. ![]() ![]() How can they reconnect to their historical vision of their country’s special mission? Thankfully, a fascinating guide for that task is right at hand, an elegant piece of historical detective work by. A fresh, original history of America’s national narratives, told through the loss, recovery, and rise of one influential Puritan sermon from 1630 to the present day “Americans are transiting to a new political chapter.
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