King Philip’s War and The City on a Hill: Finding the Link Between John Winthrop, King Philip and American Exceptionalism

Date

2021-04-29

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Southern New Hampshire University

Abstract

This paper argues that beginning a century before the American Revolution with King Philip’s War, Puritan rhetoric and the Puritan jeremiad influenced the actions of colonial governing bodies, guiding the direction of the early colonies, and establishing the foundational belief system and national narrative for what would become the United States. King Philip’s War, and the Puritan jeremiad whose model was John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” are inseparable as foundational elements of the Republic and American exceptionalism and are connected by these ideals. The goal of this paper is two-fold: Find a link between Winthrop, the Puritan mission, and conflicts with the native tribes of New England; demonstrate that Puritan influence over conflict with the native tribes New England is inseparable from Winthrop’s ‘Model’ and cannot be excluded from the idea of exceptionalism. There is a gap in the scholarship surrounding American exceptionalism, and a gap in the historiography for King Philip’s War that keeps the history of Native Americans out of the American narrative. Using 17th century primary source documents and a balance scholarship focused on Plimouth Colony, Massachusetts Bay Colony, King Philip’s War and American exceptionalism, the thesis will demonstrate that the social, political and economic fate of Native Americans must be considered part and parcel with the idea of American exceptionalism, there cannot be one without the other.

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