A City upon a Hill
Let’s take a quick detour from the usual VC topics to talk about something a bit older—400 years older, to be exact. It’s a Puritan text from Massachusetts, which makes it perfect for Thanksgiving. (Yes, I know the Puritans aren’t the same as the Pilgrims. Stick with me here.)
This text has echoed across centuries, its meaning changing in fascinating ways. And it offers an unexpected window into today’s debates over original versus traditional meaning.
You’ve probably heard American leaders refer to the United States as a “shining city upon a hill.” The phrase became a political staple thanks to Ronald Reagan in the 1970s and 80s. But Reagan didn’t invent it. He borrowed it from John Winthrop, the 17th-century governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, who got it from the Gospel of Matthew.
Winthrop used the phrase in 1630 in an essay titled A Model of Christian Charity. He wrote it either onboard the Arbella on his way to America or just before leaving England—historians aren’t en
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