The Puritans and American exceptionalism

The Puritans were God's select few exceptional people. "God begins to ship away his Noahs... New England shall be a refuge for his Noahs." (29) The Puritans "saw the storm clouds on the horizon" and then " took action to prevent the oncoming onslaught." The "storm clouds on the horizon" being the persecution of Calvinists. The " action to prevent the oncoming onslaught" being crossing the Atlantic to start anew. The Puritans plan was to create a "city upon a hill, an example for the rest of the world." Once that line was spoken in "A Model of Christian Charity," that set an attitude in America that became known as American exceptionalism. A part of that example is helping people who don't really need our help. The Puritans seal was an Indian holding an arrow and a bow and saying, " come over and help us." This has become the American model of foreign policy: Helping people who don't need help. Whether that be sending our troops to "help" the Vietnamese fight communism, or the Iraqis wanting us to "liberate" them from their tyrannical dictator, or "President William McKinley will pray to God and God will tell him to help the Filipinos by Christianizing them." (25) that piece of Puritanical ideology has been a staple of America for some time. Another thing from the Puritans we hold on to is that we are God's chosen people. There is not a speech by a political leader that doesn't say "God Bless America" or some form of we are the best in the world. The one part of that ideology that has not lived in the American mindset was the realization that if we mess up we will feel God's wrath. We have messed up plenty of times, Abu griab, (71) Iraq, Afghanistan , I could go on for days but the fact still remains true, we still believe we are the best. We cannot be a "city upon a hill" if we keep having these major mess ups. American exceptionalism has been a part of the American ideology since the Puritans settled Boston.