Shiny City on a Hill by Jabari Jones

John Winthrop (1588-1649) helped lead one of the first major Puritan settlements in America.  John Winthrop was born in England where through religion he developed a foundation for Puritan ideals; consequently, leading him to join the Puritanical movement.  However, the King of England (Charles I) hated the Puritans’ ideals; therefore, he created anti-puritanical laws.  Due to Winthrop’s Puritan belief, Charles I and Winthrop were always at eyes and eventually Charles I removed Winthrop from his court position.  The Puritans and Winthrop complained to Charles I as they felt oppressed, so with Charles I attempt to get rid of the Puritans, Charles I granted the Puritans the right to voyage to the new world to colonize.  In 1630, John Winthrop and 700 Puritans crossed the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Arbella with John Winthrop as their governor.  Eventually, John Winthrop became the governor of Massachusetts Bay and over 20,000 settlers.  During the voyage to America, Winthrop wrote a sermon ‘A Modell of Christian Charity’ to arrange his ideas about how the Puritan settlers should treat one another so that the colony can thrive.  In John Winthrop’s sermon, he tells how he believes the Lord creates two types of people: the rich and the poor, or the ones who have power, and those who do not.  Winthrop explains that the Lord made these two types of people because God wants to show wisdom in creating these different types of people and for them to respect each other.  Ultimately, God wants to have these different types of people come together as one religious community that uses each other’s different strengths to serve God.  John Winthrop pushes the idea that the Lord wants the Puritans to follow the 'one for all and all for one' motto.  Winthrop explains in his sermon that the settlers have an agreement with God and he will forsake their colony if they fail to show kindness and love each other.  This contract helps the Puritans function as a closely-knit community and realizes that if one does not have something, then another who has it should share it with them.  Through the idea that John Winthrop presents in his sermon, he concludes that their colony can be “The shiny city on the hill,” and serve as the ideal functioning community to surrounding communities.  John Winthrop strengthens the ideas he presents with stories from the Bible and comparing the Puritans to the Israelites since both had to rely on God when entering a new land.  Winthrop also draws reference from Jesus’s Sermon 'On the Mountain' in the book of Matthew to state how being the city on the hill will show others how to serve and love God the right way.  “For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill” (John Winthrop 177).  In essence, Winthrop sermon encourages all people apart of the community to engage in a cooperative spirit with one another and promotes sharing.  Winthrop believes that this is the model that others following their footsteps will idolize and will show Charles I how a truly God-fearing community should be ruled.