Welcome to the website for n Winthrop: Founding the City Upon a Hill.
Puritan lawyer, politician, and lay theologian John Winthrop departed from England in 1630 when King Charles I succeeded in blocking all hopes of passing puritan-inspired reforms in Parliament. As the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Winthrop came to the New World in hopes of creating an ideal puritan community. He is remembered for his role in organizing the initial puritan migration to America and in leading the colony in Massachusetts during its first two crucial decades. He is also noted for delivering what is probably the most famous lay sermon in American history, in which he proclaimed that New England would be “a city upon a hill.”
In John Winthrop: Founding the City upon a Hill, Michael Parker examines the political and religious history of this iconic figure. In a concise narrative, bolstered by primary documents including portraits, speeches, and journal excerpts, John Winthrop introduces students to puritanism, the colonial world, the Pequot War, the Antinomian Controversy, and the concept of American Exceptionalism.
This website supports the book with an array of additional primary documents, images, and links to video and other online resources.
Routledge Historical Americans is a series of short, vibrant biographies that illuminate the lives of Americans who have had an impact on the world. Each book includes a short overview of the person’s life and puts that person into historical context through essential primary documents, written both by the subjects and about them. A series website supports the books, containing extra images and documents, links to further research, and where possible, multi-media sources on the subjects. Perfect for including in any course on American History, the books in the Routledge Historical Americans series show the impact everyday people can have on the course of history.