| Why did America claim itself “a city upon a hill”？ | |
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| Sep 9, 2008 03:36 |   |
 | Why did American style itself “ a city on a hill”? Is that associated with the culture of American Isolationism? American exceptionalism has deep in US society. Much of US history(particularly before WWII), Americans believed they need to isolated to preserve the exceptional nation. Why did America claim itself “ a city upon a hill”? |
| Sep 9, 2008 05:17 | #1 |
| "A shining city upon a hill" is how I remember President Ronald Reagan saying it. I believe it represents an ideal, something to strive for. Our culture is one of continual improvement and not accepting the status quo. We continually strive to make things better, easier and more just. that is why we have many critics within our own country. We know we can do better and we let our elected officials know that. The isolation resulted from the fact that a great many of our people have always been those who left some other place or country because they didn't like things there and wanted nothing more to do with what they left behind. A good example is Cuba. It has been said that in politics, the situation with Cuba is not a matter of foreign policy, it is a matter of domestic policy. So many former Cubans live in Florida who fled the Castro regime that any politician who supports Castro's Cuba will not get political support. Also many in Cuba today look at the U.S. as the "shining city upon a hill" and strive to come here even if it means a great risk to themselves by crossing the ocean in a rubber raft. Also our first President, George Washington warned us to " avoid foreign entanglements" or the web of alliances practiced by kings and nations that resulted in difficult diplomatic matters. You can't please everybody and by aligning yourself with one side, you make enemies with others. We were a new nation and needed to settle down. |
| Sep 9, 2008 11:38 | #2 |
| The term "city on a hill" has been associated with America since a sermon given in 1830 to colonists that referenced a passage from the Bible. It is most lately associated with Former President Ronald Reagan who is quoted as saying: " I've spoken of the Shining City all my political life.... In my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than the oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still." Ronald Reagan passed away on June 5,2004 age 93. He was president from January 1981 to January 1989. |
| Sep 9, 2008 16:57 | #3 |
| Oops! Sorry. John Winthrop gave his sermon to colonists in 1630 not 1830. |
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