American Exceptionalism In The Wordy Shipmates

Vowell was very interested in the way the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony lived their lives. Their group is best remembered for two of their banished heretics: Roger Williams, a founder of Providence, Rhode Island, and Anne Hutchinson, the earliest preacher of a theory of the "Jesus is my personal savior" of American Protestantism. Without the some of the theological disputes of the Massachusetts Bay Puritans, the modern-day America would not have the same prospects. American exceptionalism takes on a huge role in The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. The recognition is that if the Puritans were chosen by God, they would also be punished by Him if they do not uphold our part of the covenant. This shows that they would do anything that was needed to fulfill their duties as a member of the Puritan civilization. …show more content…
Puritans lived being very selfless and insisted on their own interdependence. Together they would agree as one. People know the dark side of the Puritans and anyone who disagrees, anyone who does stand up, anyone who does criticize the magistrates or ministers of their congregation, they would be banished. In the end they all want to just protect their fundamental ways of life. In the 1630s, the Puritans were most likely viewed as an aggressive group of people who would attack and banish people if they didn’t agree with their frame of mind. Over time, the ways of the Puritans have stuck out more then the violence and the obstacles that occurred during the 1630s. To this day, America still views itself as a Puritan nation. Winthrop's sermon of the "city on a hill," for example, showed a "model of Christian charity." When Winthrop envisioned a godly society, he didn’t turn straight to a governmental design, but instead he turned to communal values. He showed the value in loving one another, rejoicing and suffering together, and living as members of one