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Engaging and substantive -Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal An elegant piece of historical detective work . . . City on a Hill grasps a phrase you may think you understand-and then it turns that phrase to open the door to a huge room of rediscovered knowledge. . . . [A] wonderful archaeology of an American idea. -David Frum, Atlantic Van Engen's explanation of the history of Winthrop's manuscript will likely require many historians to revise their use of the sermon in their lectures. His exploration of the crucial role that nineteenth-century antiquarians and historical societies played in developing a national narrative is also brilliant. Equally insightful are his chapters on the work of Miller and Bercovitch as well as his careful exegesis of Trump's rejection of American exceptionalism...City on a Hill is an exceptional contribution to American history. -P. C. Kemeny, Journal of Ecclesiastical History Demonstrates an impressive command of facts . . . a masterful account of the resiliency of the Puritan origins narrative. -Steven K. Green, Church History Winner of the 2021 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize, awarded by the Massachusetts Historical Society: A major contribution to the historical scholarship on Puritanism and American exceptionalism . . . Truly an influential book. Winner of the 2022 Pelikan Award, a biannual prize given by an independent committee of Yale faculty, sponsored by Yale University Press This deeply researched and startling study of national myth is a revelation. Van Engen takes us on an extraordinary intellectual journey through the idea of exceptionalism. Here, good history punctures our hardened assumptions with evidence, even as it allows for myth's powers over our imaginations. -David W. Blight, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom Fluidly written, deeply and widely researched, persuasively argued, scintillating, and stunningly effective. . . . A landmark contribution. -Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word Van Engen uncovers the story of the most revered sermon in the American saga, tracing its shadowy origin to the bully pulpit centuries later as a motto for national exceptionalism. A trifecta of scholarship, narrative history, and a timely contribution to debates over our role in the world. -Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution Abram Van Engen has written a brilliant cultural history of how the meaning of America has been defined, over time, by appeals to the Puritans' grand vision of a 'city on a hill.' This story, with its many twists and turns, illuminates the power and the contradictions of these myths of American exceptionalism. The chapters on the influence of Perry Miller are truly exceptional. -Nathan Hatch, President of Wake Forest University Abram Van Engen blends deep research in rare primary sources with a gripping story that runs from the 1620s to the present. Drawing on history, religion, and literature, he makes a persuasive argument in page-turning prose about the mythic roots of American exceptionalism. This should be a prize-winning book. -Grant Wacker, author of One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham

This deeply researched and startling study of national myth is a revelation. Van Engen takes us on an extraordinary intellectual journey through the idea of exceptionalism. Here, good history punctures our hardened assumptions with evidence, even as it allows for myth's powers over our imaginations. -David W. Blight, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom Fluidly written, deeply and widely researched, persuasively argued, scintillating, and stunningly effective. . . . A landmark contribution. -Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word Van Engen uncovers the story of the most revered sermon in the American saga, tracing its shadowy origin to the bully pulpit centuries later as a motto for national exceptionalism. A trifecta of scholarship, narrative history, and a timely contribution to debates over our role in the world. -Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution Abram Van Engen has written a brilliant cultural history of how the meaning of America has been defined, over time, by appeals to the Puritans' grand vision of a 'city on a hill.' This story, with its many twists and turns, illuminates the power and the contradictions of these myths of American exceptionalism. The chapters on the influence of Perry Miller are truly exceptional. -Nathan Hatch, President of Wake Forest University Abram Van Engen blends deep research in rare primary sources with a gripping story that runs from the 1620s to the present. Drawing on history, religion, and literature, he makes a persuasive argument in page-turning prose about the mythic roots of American exceptionalism. This should be a prize-winning book. -Grant Wacker, author of One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham

Fluidly written, deeply and widely researched, persuasively argued, scintillating, and stunningly effective. . . . A landmark contribution. -Mark Noll, University of Notre Dame

Engaging and substantive -Barton Swaim, Wall Street Journal An elegant piece of historical detective work . . . City on a Hill grasps a phrase you may think you understand-and then it turns that phrase to open the door to a huge room of rediscovered knowledge. . . . [A] wonderful archaeology of an American idea. -David Frum, Atlantic Winner of the 2021 Peter J. Gomes Memorial Book Prize, awarded by the Massachusetts Historical Society: A major contribution to the historical scholarship on Puritanism and American exceptionalism . . . Truly an influential book. This deeply researched and startling study of national myth is a revelation. Van Engen takes us on an extraordinary intellectual journey through the idea of exceptionalism. Here, good history punctures our hardened assumptions with evidence, even as it allows for myth's powers over our imaginations. -David W. Blight, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom Fluidly written, deeply and widely researched, persuasively argued, scintillating, and stunningly effective. . . . A landmark contribution. -Mark Noll, author of In the Beginning Was the Word Van Engen uncovers the story of the most revered sermon in the American saga, tracing its shadowy origin to the bully pulpit centuries later as a motto for national exceptionalism. A trifecta of scholarship, narrative history, and a timely contribution to debates over our role in the world. -Strobe Talbott, Brookings Institution Abram Van Engen has written a brilliant cultural history of how the meaning of America has been defined, over time, by appeals to the Puritans' grand vision of a 'city on a hill.' This story, with its many twists and turns, illuminates the power and the contradictions of these myths of American exceptionalism. The chapters on the influence of Perry Miller are truly exceptional. -Nathan Hatch, President of Wake Forest University Abram Van Engen blends deep research in rare primary sources with a gripping story that runs from the 1620s to the present. Drawing on history, religion, and literature, he makes a persuasive argument in page-turning prose about the mythic roots of American exceptionalism. This should be a prize-winning book. -Grant Wacker, author of One Soul at a Time: The Story of Billy Graham

Author Information

Abram C. Van Engen is associate professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis, where he is also associate professor (by courtesy) at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.

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