John Winthrop’s speech to his Puritan community is a well-known example of a person’s vision of the future. Many American scholars and politicians refer to the expressions and phrases implemented by Winthrop (Squiers, 2018). The advice presented by the Puritan leader is still relevant to this day, providing a significant insight into the basic rules of creating a prosperous community. This essay will discuss two examples from Winthrop’s speech as effective methods of establishing a strong society and provide specific evidence of how America considers itself a model for the other countries.
Devising a powerful and durable community can be a demanding task for any leader. John Winthrop had suggested several guidelines for this process, which he discussed in his sermon to the first Puritan settlers (Leise, 2017). The English pioneer’s essential advice is described as the necessity to stay together as a community, to “rejoice together, mourn together, labour, and suffer together” (“John Winthrop dreams,” n.d.).
Research states that strong communities often exhibit strengthened social ties between their members (Griswold et al., 2016). Additionally, Winthrop proposes that settlers should uphold business relationships together, helping others in need (“John Winthrop dreams,” n.d.). The significance of this advocation is explained by Molinillo et al. (2020), who present scientific findings on the topic. Successful trading connections often reinforce the stability of a given community (Molinillo et al., 2020). Overall, creating an affluent and durable neighborhood requires fulfilling several goals, such as strong collective ties and business relations.
Recent events in America suggest that the country still aims to manifest itself as a model. One of the significant political figures, Mike Pompeo, used the phrase “city on a hill” to describe the USA’s government foreign policy guidelines (“Secretary of State Pompeo,” 2020). Furthermore, some authors believe that the United States is the only global superpower, making it a role model for other governments (McNeil, 2019). Altogether, America seems to present itself as an example for the rest of the countries to follow.
To conclude, John Winthrop’s sermon and its significance for creating a powerful society has been discussed. Engaging in strong social connections and upholding business relations can be essential in sustaining a durable community. Scientific research from various spheres has been shown to support these statements. Moreover, the USA’s policy is still believed to be based on Winthrop’s understanding of “city upon a hill,” as the country establishes its public procedures accordingly.
References
Griswold, K. S., Kim, I., & Scates, J. M. (2016). Building a community of solution with resettled refugees. Journal of Community Medicine & Health Education, 6(1), 1−5. Web.
John Winthrop dreams of a city on a hill, 1630. (n.d.). The American Yawp Reader. Web.
Leise, C. (2017). The story upon a hill: The puritan myth in contemporary American fiction. University of Alabama Press.
Molinillo, S., Anaya-Sánchez, R., & Liébana-Cabanillas, F. (2020). Analyzing the effect of social support and community factors on customer engagement and its impact on loyalty behaviors toward social commerce websites. Computers in Human Behavior, 108, 1−12. Web.
Secretary of State Pompeo and others on promoting democracy. (2020). C-SPAN. Web.
Squiers, A. (2018). The politics of the sacred in America: The role of civil religion in political practice. Springer International Publishing.
McNeil, T. (2019). Why the United States is the only superpower. Tufts Now. Web.