Daniel T. Rodgers Livres

In 1630, John Winthrop warned his fellow Puritans that they would be "as a city upon a hill." Over three centuries later, Ronald Reagan transformed this phrase into a powerful symbol of American promise. This work explores how Winthrop's once-overlooked words evolved into a cornerstone of American identity and exceptionalism. Leading historian Daniel Rodgers uncovers the rich history of Winthrop's text, revealing the original ideas it conveyed and the diverse interpretations it has inspired over time. The narrative demonstrates that Winthrop's "Model of Christian Charity" was far more complex and vulnerable than the simplified version embraced by twentieth-century Americans. Rodgers traces the shifting meanings of Winthrop's words across nearly four hundred years, from Winthrop's own concerns about global scrutiny to Abraham Lincoln's reference to an "almost chosen people," and the aspirations of African Americans in Liberia, culminating in the era of Donald Trump. This exploration highlights the unexpected paths through which Winthrop's words became ingrained in American consciousness, while also reflecting on how nationalism often reshapes "timeless" texts to align with a more straightforward narrative of the past.

Contention, argument, and power are the tradition in American political talk. Any country that began in revolution was bound to have this history. But the language of argument uses particular words with particular, sometimes shifting, meanings. Rodgers looks at these words and what they have meant over time in this vital political history.

Shows how the collective purposes and meanings that had framed social debate became unhinged and uncertain. This title offers a reinterpretation of the ways in which the decades surrounding the 1980s changed America. It explains how structures of power came to seem less important than market choice and fluid selves.