Which sermon introduced the phrase 'city upon a hill' and helped shape colonial ideals?

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Multiple Choice

Which sermon introduced the phrase 'city upon a hill' and helped shape colonial ideals?

The central idea is how Puritan rhetoric framed a community as a beacon for others, shaping American self-identity around moral example and collective responsibility. The phrase “city upon a hill” comes from John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity, delivered to the Puritans aboard the Arbella as they sailed to Massachusetts Bay. In that sermon, Winthrop argues the colony must be a unified, virtuous covenant community whose conduct would be watched by the world and serve as a model of Christian charity. This framing—that a society’s cohesion and moral purpose could set a standard for others—helped mold colonial ideals by tying communal success to spiritual and ethical excellence rather than merely wealth, power, or conquest. The other works differ in focus: Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God centers on individual salvation, Paine’s Common Sense advocates political independence, and Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack offers practical aphorisms for daily life. Thus, the sermon introducing the phrase and shaping colonial vision is A Model of Christian Charity.

The central idea is how Puritan rhetoric framed a community as a beacon for others, shaping American self-identity around moral example and collective responsibility. The phrase “city upon a hill” comes from John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity, delivered to the Puritans aboard the Arbella as they sailed to Massachusetts Bay. In that sermon, Winthrop argues the colony must be a unified, virtuous covenant community whose conduct would be watched by the world and serve as a model of Christian charity. This framing—that a society’s cohesion and moral purpose could set a standard for others—helped mold colonial ideals by tying communal success to spiritual and ethical excellence rather than merely wealth, power, or conquest. The other works differ in focus: Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God centers on individual salvation, Paine’s Common Sense advocates political independence, and Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack offers practical aphorisms for daily life. Thus, the sermon introducing the phrase and shaping colonial vision is A Model of Christian Charity.

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