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The first, q a function that you will seek at the bottom of the screen. Click on that and will present them. We have 5200 and so people plan on already so not sure look at to every question that we will do our best to answer as many as we can. If you would like to ask a question in person, as a race hand question button and we will be alerted you raise your hand and we will try to answer those questions as well. Once we click, you will probably have to unmute yourself. So without further ado, join me in welcoming our speaker this afternoon. Thank you all for being here. This lovely to get in a talk today. Thank you for setting this up. Appreciate you altering me today. I want to say a couple of quick things. We are living in a world of one shorthair i appreciate your patience and understanding. We are living in a world of faulty Internet Connections so its known to afflict this house from time to time and if that happens today, which i hope it doesnt but if it does, i appreciate your patience and note that i will be back. We are going to do today is talk about what i mean by american exceptionalism. I want to ask a question at the beginning and you can type answers q a function or think about yourself but theres a question. Whats the origin of america . We think about where america begins with whom it begins, how you start your story of america . Where you start . To circle back to that in a bit about why that matters. First, let me explain what we are going to do today. With cap a broad audience with us today, some are scholars of history and literature, some are just interested in the topic, i dropped my mom out there, it is a broad audience. We are going to talk through what we mean by american exceptionalism, what is entailed in that concept, what general history looks like, why it matters and what it has to do from 1630, this sermon which appeared in government says we shall be at the city upon a hill. Let me check my screen and lets get started. What is american exceptionalism . The general idea here is that we are identifying the United States referred to as america is a nation different from or distinct from or unique from all the other nations in the world, usually with an understanding as superior to other nations and in a sense in the role in relation, consequences of distinctive superiority for its relation to the other nations of the world. There are a few ways to these are different times in American History so one way to think about this is that the u. S. Is a light to other nations in the world. This is prominent following the American Revolution. 1790, of the 1800s. There is a strong feeling among a lot of prominent people the u. S. Had achieved something that other nations would want to achieve and seek to achieve. There is a feeling that they would be the model for other nations, other nations would want to emulate what we have done so this is the concept of the u. S. As a small nation. If the concept passive, we will model or demonstrate something the rest of the nation can choose to emulate or that comes to the fore especially after world war ii, rise to power and wealth and prosperity and prominence happens after world war ii. You get a more active sense this is the concept that whatever blessings are prosperity, whatever we have that we think is right, its our duty responsibly brings those things to other nations. This is the concept of the u. S. The u. S. Has a duty or responsibly to save the other nations of the world, whether i have asked for or not. Both of these concept, there often a religious sense entailed so this is the concept that if god and prominence set apart this nation to have these tons of roles and distinctive features this is the concept of the u. S. As a chosen nation. Model nation. When we talk about american explosion from one of his there are two others always play even if they dont become explicit. It is a comparative assessment so your day when you set apart the u. S. As a distinct is that you have looked at all the other nations of the world, you know something about all the other nations and therefore can claim the u. S. Is distinct. This is in a certain basic way, you are making a claim so you have knowledge about other nations of the world are like to claim american exceptionalism. There is a historical claim, the part that interested me most when i was writing the book. We make claims, almost always write a story of america explains the exceptionalism claim distinct and because of xy and z history, again, i did this or that and it depends upon the historical story of america, thats what sets it apart from other patients and gives it a particular role to play in human affairs. To give a sense of how that is super crucial part of the idea of american exceptionalism from here is the definition that would give by the Republican Party in 2012, mitt romneys candidate. The Party Platform was american capitalism. Which they defined as the conviction that our country called unique place and role in human history. We can seek history is always at stake in the concept of american exceptionalism. What really interested me was writing this book, the book is about history writing what i think when we do and why is it various ways over time i was particularly as i am puritanism 17th century, rolled really quite drew me to this project to begin brings us back to the question with which we begin to think your own answers but if youre going to tell history of america, you have to start the story somewhere. Story has to have a beginning. I opened this question so ive done that multiple times but we also set up a survey of 2000 people were week contract for answers with Political Data and see how it all shakes out. A bunch of answers, and, of course to this question of where and when america begins. Some of the standard answers you might expect, the answers tend to congregate. Native americans, the first people in america, thats where it began. Or get an answer like columbus, the european, the first europeans story of america begins with european discovery america or sometimes, though not frequently, jamestown virginia, the First PermanentEnglish Settlement is the beginning of the story of america. The mayflower compact Plymouth Rock child returns when a moment and the declaration of American Revolution constitution something of the things the question doesnt really make sense, but the question does is it tells us what you mean by america. Your answer to this gives us your sense of the definition of america itself. A lot is at stake in the sense of the definition. A lot of my book is about origin stories and how we begin National History and why we begin in certain places and not others. One of the things at stake is the question of identity if you start the story of america columbus, what happens to federal records . Out of a for the story . How are they not part of the story before suddenly become part of the story only when europeans arrived . How are they woven into the narrative you are telling . Just as importantly, this is the part that drew me to this question, are accounts of purpose. We see a certain origin story is given and the motive that started the people is understood to be the motive still drives and defines an action now. What purpose inspired america the question comes, i dont know much later, relate to that purpose which defines what america stands for . Never people came for is what we stand for. This is a claim frequently made especially in the history first is written in the 1800s. Why are they a prominent role in these origin stories . It doesnt really sense so native americans makes sense, the first people in the americas. Columbus was the first european in america, if you want to start back or you can start with the first english or English Settlement for the first this or that. They are not the first of anything. Theyre just not the first. So how come they get woven into origin stories about what america is and what it stands for . The primary answer turns on a sense of purpose. Well see this again and again, especially beginning early 1800s cap by turning the origin of america to the puritans, you could isolate cap your purpose, you could claim america was founded on a higher purpose and use that to define what america stands for. You could make the claim that the pilgrims came for freedom so they were clean persecution, for religious liberty, thinking for god, not gold, selfgovernment and so on. These are stories that get written up programs these are all good things, like freedom, religious liberty and toleration, these are good things. By making an argument the pilgrims began, we could say that is the true story of america. What happens is Everything Else happens in america, you have to rewrite it to make sure the story sticks. The fact the puritans were often made a lot of money for shipping. These parts of the story did not get mentioned to make pure purpose. The other think, allows us to not start with these questions. The spanish we can claim they came for called, thinking for all the wrong reasons and they are not the true story of america. The south then get dismissed, its not really the true story of america one person a study in the book is a guy named harry heath played an Important Role and all he said about jamestown, it lacked incoherence. Hes not going to start that but what happens thank you can claim slavery is not part of the true story of america, the true story of america starts with the search of freedom, then they are slavery but is not part of the true story of america and it will disappear over time. Whats at stake in these origin stories is the National History that its one might consider another isolate one purpose instead of another they can elevate one history and downplay another. Thats part of what im tracking in this book. When does it begin to happen . Against what you finally have a nation that meets National History. Following the American Revolution, you have this unique interesting problem. The 13 apartment colonies are primarily related to england. They dont necessarily have a great deal to do with one another, the culture of virginia, it doesnt necessarily have a lot to do with the culture and people messages suddenly their time together as one patient. How do you elevate a sense of belonging together its going to be greater in your sense of belonging to your state . One two claim your virginian, its another to say your an american. Theres a widespread recognition of this and a lot of Cultural National identity can be salient for people that you have a nation. Theres a lot of ways to approach this, i will just isolate three things that happen. People start making. Your country for your most salient political identity is the borders of virginia, what does it mean when they start hanging maps for painting maps in a country that a political thing maps all over the people can picture themselves as one people. The other thing they start to emphasize civic rights and rituals fourth of july becomes an important holiday because its the one holiday everybody in every colony can celebrate. It might celebrate in their own ways but its a way of saying we belong together, we can practice and rehearse this identity together. The other thing is they start to write National History. Whats interesting is that i dont have much National History yet. Seventeenth 90s, early 1800s, you will make up a nation for about ten or 20 years. How will you write National History . Happens in the first National History is that the writers begin reaching back to the colonial area era and pick and choose whats the origin of this thing we now call the u. S. Of america . Where does it really begin . How we go back to that in those people never thought of starting an independent nation and explain that they were the roots and origins of this thing we now have, this new nation . That begins to explode, this writing of history and National History against to explode, especially in the 1820s. This gives you a little sense of that, in each decade historical works including historical fiction captured for a quarter or more of americas best sellers, climbing to 85 in the 1820s. People were reading history like that. Never think you have new state laws to teach history. New Public Schools and sending everybody to school is a new thing that happens. When they go to smoke from the states require the teaching of history in American History interesting is that they do cap private schools that time but folks who go to private schools are told to read and study study classics because they are supposed to become judgment by reading. The folks who go to publix. They are supposed to become good citizens. That is to read and study history so this is the way these things get sorted out in the 1800s. Also have new schools and students, new state laws requiring the teaching of history and you just have a booming textbook market begins to dominate. The thing is, they are often the only way people get education teachers come and go, students come and go, theres a lot going on but the textbook is forever. They take textbooks home and pass them around to the family and you can sleep on the cover pages that they were not just written for students, its a reference work for the entire family. They become hugely important, ways of embedding our cultural and national narrative. This is a picture i love to talk about and teach, as a woman in the 1800s, shes hugely important and really famous. Shes a major proponent of womens education, she starts school, we have to educate women the same standards of men. We have to take education seriously for everyone. She starts an important school, today is called the emma school in new york but her students fan out and began modeling that school so she starts a whole movement of womens School Across the country and it even gets picked up beyond the country, columbia and others begin to build schools for women on the basis of the model of emma. Shes a very famous woman in her own faith. The other reason shes a household name is because she writes textbook. She sold over one point textbooks during her lifetime, which aint bad. The thing that made her textbooks so important and different is that she thought of history as i think that was best learn if it was pictured so she practiced writing historical from withdrawing historical facts for people to learn the history of the u. S. She also thought if all of history could be pictured at once, it could be kept in mind and remembered. So this is her history of the entire u. S. , her history of america all in one picture. Each branch the tree is meant to be a key turning. History. You can see what matters and what does not to her. She starts with columbias discovery, she uses this to explain the beginning of explorations and whats not the u. S. Then the first basic settlement that becomes a turning for her is 1620 and shes explicit about that in the book. What does not get mentioned, what skipped entirely virginia the south, theres no turning for them. Theyre not a key turning area. Its just left out of the tree. So the problems become important for her its the mayflower compact that paves the way for the constitution of the u. S. Much later. This is the way in which she begins to unfold the history of the u. S. As Malachi George the history of the u. S. And becomes a most famous historian of the u. S. At the time. Today, if you win the big prize in American History, you win this prize named after the sky. He says the problems of the way to an asylum to those who go to the wilderness religion or liberty. The citizens of the u. S. Should cherish the memories of us found that the state on basis of liberty, the problems scattered the principles of Republican Freedom and National Independence and helpful so far as the moment the pilgrims set foot on Plymouth Rock, freedom found in america and we had at that moment, the mechanic institutions that would carry us forward ever since so you can see the way a founding purpose is tied to present day because the pilgrims came to this, thats what we stand for the rest of American History can be set aside to elevate kind of story. Its not hard to seek with all this writing going on, how we can move forward and continue the kind of story to get to where Ronald Reagan and his last address to the public in 1989, the very last thing he said the public as president and he says he made a career on basis of a shiny city on the hill. In making that claim, he kept turning back to John Winthrop and his 1630 sermon but we shall be sitting on the help is early go from an early freedom man. Hes purposely combining them into one origin story and what we came for is what we stand for. We still standpoint . Shes still up beacon, a magnet for all and freedom. All the lost places hurtling towards home in the dark. The origin that defines us and our basic goal is to stay true to the purpose and thats the introductory reagan spells out. Whats interesting is the history of that sermon is pretty mysterious and odd. By unfolding the particular dynamics of history, that one particular sermon becomes so important to reagan, i could get at this larger way in which american exceptionalism creates the foundation and needs to tell the particular story of america so heres the cover page of the 1637 this is at the new york Historical Society and they have this and this is the cover page. First, its not in his handwriting. The second thing, theres in the handwriting in the service itself. One copy of the sermon very means, its written in a hand thats not with props. Theres a different handprint. We have no idea when this page was added to the sermon itself. The other thing you can see is kind of a mess so youve got people writing over it and adding between the lines, more detail. Its clear it was not added in 1630 because you wouldnt give a sermon and suddenly have a cover page that describes john as the Great Company of religious people in which christian tribes from a brave leader and famous governor, its not a title page he would use in 1630 right after he gave the sermon so we dont know when this cover page was added to the sermon. We dont have it in his own handwriting. This is the only thing that places the sermon on the Atlantic Ocean at the moment when he was coming over. Were not even sure thats true. As a few other things that we should note. First, it is never noted in its own day. Nobody paid any attention at all. The manuscript was completely unknown, everyone for over 200 years, it was first found and published in 1838. Even then, after they found this sermon, nobody paid any attention to it nobody said with cap american finisher on it, they had it for another 100 years, its kind of a long sermon and they set it aside. Oddly, he started to gain National Prominence in the 40s. Thats when it begins to take off. Here for example, the content page of two American Literature, the left is 1961. Its one of the most prominent ones weve got. 1961 from the sermon had become decently welcome from bill it was a public scholar, he spent the last year of his life claiming that this sermon was the foundation of American Culture and it was a very intriguing story that i tell more of in the book. Im not going to get into that here he died in 1963 so the sermon is known, and she is not considered important. Its just not considered a great text of American Literature. By 1979, its the first text in American Literature. Its chronologically out of place, but they put winthrop first and explained why they say this is the key text, basically explain the development of American Literature. 1961, hardly known, ignored, neglected. The key text of American Literature in 1979. Over the course of about five or six years, i worked with a team of students to track every citation sitting on the help our city upon a hill or experience in google books from 1800 to the present day. You could tell what this phrase is being used for, what its referring to and you can see from this chart that the phrase basically is not referring to winthrop his sermon, it still 1940s and increasingly it becomes a phrase of the foundational sermon of america. As another way to check as well, sitting on the hill is in matthew five 14, he explained it would be on a city upon a health. To the 1800s, the primary reference for sitting on the help is the church. The church is understood to be a city on a hill, not necessarily a political entity, or a country, etc. The main way described christians are followers of jesus for apostles, disciples, there and so forth. Its a religious phase. Then we can begin to see more and more frequently is phrase describes america or the u. S. Weve got more charts elsewhere but they can show the way in which a phrase referred to the church, you can chart the way it was taken over by the nation the nation defined itself the very phrase and term used to define the church. The second part of my talk here, why we have the sermon at all. The simplest answer is because the Historical Society printed it and preserved it and somewhat promoted but that raised the question, why do we have Historical Society at all . I always just asked another question i get. Is the content for my book and before i focus on but, or to focus on this part, how we have the materials from which we begin to write American History or National History what goes into the collection of Raw Materials and records and papers in many scripts to provide a basis for American History that retail . So i mentioned at the beginning, founded in 1971, the first of its kind. It begins to model after that, the founder of the mhs, as he looked around, he noticed any scripts are constantly being locked. Burned or plundered or whatever. These are all mentions of losses he makes when he found the mhs. All these events he found in everyone knew about them. The other thing thats guiding is a powerful sense of american exceptionalism from one of these figures who believe america achieved what no other nation achieved. As a result, nations look to america want to know its history they have to emulate it for itself. Shes driven by which we need to collect the papers and preserve record of American History to other patients can track its creation Historical Society. Our man on the left theres some stories about him hiking that are funny but anyway from his basic idea was we needed a place to hold all these records. The guy on the right is ebenezer hazard, a fabulous name to begin with but his basic role, you cannot put everything together, no matter how many times we put it together in a safe house, it will burn down or be plundered. His idea was we have to copy everything because if you copy everything and distribute everything, once we lose one copy, we will still have another copy so they joined forces and become friends from the right a whole series of letters together and he found the Historical Society on the urging of hazard, they start the collection of the Historical Society so basically they start printing a selection of what theyve got basically to preserve it but also bring it to the public. To the public can read its own history. Its in this series of collections on his sermon first appears so the first printing, appearance of that sermon in 1838 is in this collection. Thats where its printed but its not where it held. It had upper new york Historical Society in fact the only copy was found. The he arcos did not really care about the sermon, they found it, got inside about the mhs would be interested in that. Its not our history, the Historical Society when they went back to origin stories and found to celebrate, they celebrated the dutch health and so forth so when they came across this 20 years later, i just thought kind of boring but they wrote and said you want this sermon . Will make a copy so how they ended up getting a hold of it but the new yorkers did not think of it as important. What is important, the Historical Society which was founded by john, a bit of his colorful story in the book, they built themselves on the model of the mhs. Quickly after these historical societies began to increase rapidly, in 1812 than in 1820, they start to proliferate and now if you live in new england and walk around to various small towns, almost all have some form of this collection of papers, preservation of the past. Its a Huge Movement that has saved a great many papers. Whats important to understand is that as you go about preserving, you have to make choices. Its not about everything that ever comes and get saved. In particular, when the thing get saved but you go look to find, what youre going to look to find the kinds of papers and records you think of as important and those are the kind of records that will support the kind of story you have in this was basically the story of america. Pound in the wilderness in the time of purity. In north america, the oppressed always found safety in relief. He spoke this again and again its a story of being founded in liberty, the story of American History, progress of liberty and records he wanted to preserve what explain how the progress of liberty works. The problem with that story is that it doesnt work very well with native americans and he recognized this problem. The more he celebrated america as a progress of liberty, the less tolerance he had for native americans. By the end of his life, he just thought they needed to just disappear, receipt to the wilderness and get out of the way so the story could continue. So what you see happening and sort of the big part of this story, there is a reciprocal relationship between National Archive which is what its intended to be in a national story. The story guides the collection that makes the archive when people go to the archive to see about the past, but they come up with is often is a replica of the story that guided the archive to begin with. As mark which i will get back to in a moment but theres this intense reciprocal relationship going on. So what to do with native americans . Talking a book about how the ongoing presence of native americans have represented for american exceptionalism and especially difficult problem. American exceptionalism often does not conflict native americans, it begins with the arrival of europeans. Its meant to tell a kind of value doesnt work the history native american. Basically make native americans part of the wilderness setting against which the story of america unfolds so they are kind of like the tree, theyre just kind of here. Part of the blank slate for when the strike begins when europeans arrived. We can see it here so emma was partly famous for her historical map and this is the first map in her book called an introductory map. Its an account of what the native american nations were in her fast account of how they moved around where they were located. What is interesting about this she called this directory cap. The next map is called the first map, the account of the arrival of the europeans even her mouth of native americans is not even considered the first map is a strength, its just a setting of the scene. His famous book with robert forsters and its an account of their American History told anyway. The account of American History in which he basically makes native americans part of the comparison to the bears world in the wilderness and they are just there, the landscape against which the story unfolds. So it would take much later different sorts of archives to recover the papers of native americans to claim that they are part of the true american story, part of the same National History so this was a mohican christianity, important preacher ministry, a voice for americans and basically by the end of his life, he spent time mocking and dismissing this guy and never would have thought they would collect papers of the sky. It took a meter archive and work of others to come around to have to be preserved, there part of the story. One way to think about the Historical Society is that they are back institutions of law. They are like this swelling of voices in the midst of a sea of salads. What get selected artifact is guided by certain choices. Preservation requires selection. On the other hand, hoping the internet would not give up there, these institutions are fast institutions of gangs. Because of the proliferation of these historical societies across america, we have tons and tons of papers and records which do not necessarily read himself so well into the story that he thought to collect. Just to give an illustration, i was working at the mhs in reading through papers and letters between him and hazard, is all these books on the shelves written with the help of the resources and three books in particular were more prominently displayed. All three were new accounts of native American Culture and history in early new england and all of them use resources to tell that history. So if you can see, jeremy would never have imagined writing such books or collecting materials that would help write such books and yet, our ability to write this book is because of the materials collected by him and by the society he started so these things work in dynamic and complex ways and with each of the characters that i talk about my book, is a lot of complex dynamics going on, these folks are not just heroes and not just billets. The work they do has multiple consequences. Let me conclude that and we can turn to q a. I wrote this now just get it right but heres what i want to end with. Among them acquire we talking about this . Among other papers preserved was one in a script i would eventually change the shape of american political rhetoric. John sitting on the Health Models the christians. It is a powerful belief in american capitalism, discovered, preserved and promoted, lost and forgotten text with later enable others to make that text the definition and origin of america identity. I book your client what the sermon meant in its own context in the 17th century, how it was lost and how it rose to prominence after world war ii. The story of this last me to tell a broader story of how and why americans have thought about writing National History and how and why they often begin with the pilgrims. This year marks the 400th anniversary since pilgrims landed in plymouth and it seems like an appropriate time to think through what generations and generations and generations of americans have said about the pilgrims and puritans. How we have understood them and what role they have played the stories we tell our nations. Thats it, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Interesting talk. Unfortunately, we cant give and applaud virtually. We will just turn to some questions. We can somehow have between america has an idea and nationalism. Other other industries for this alternative . I think have increasingly become the economy. I dont think they would have thought of it that much in the early period. When he was thinking of america, founded on a certain principal for a certain purpose, he was also thinking of it as a certain white version of American History so they work as economist, he didnt struggle to dismiss the south, he just did it. So he didnt see the dichotomy as much as we might now. I like to say, for people for online watching, you can raise your hand if you would like to or type a question. We also have a question, was winthrop an idea about america in his sermon that became conceptualism . The whole first section of my book is what was his actual message . Was he trying to get up in that sermon . For a long time, the idea was that this sermon was establishing new england as the forefront of history, a model for all others to follow. An exceptional model for all of us to follow. And there was a revisionist moment where they basically said no, winthrop didnt want to be noticed by anyone from he was seeking animated weeks, this is not about modeling anything. I do think he thought of the society was a model but he never thought of it as singular or exceptional in what hes doing is looking at other models and saying we should be like those models, we should be a model among all other models and the key is to think of it as a community of love, so its a very communitarian sermon and he basically says if we love each other well, of course we will be a model just like any other community who loves each other well. That is the gist of the sermon. Was the action williams native americans affected of the story, the end of the chapter . That was fun is a piece in the important native american in the early 1800s and how he rewrites the story of america entirely the pilgrims become no different than the spanish, the folks who are after gold and willing to slaughter native americans to get rich and so on. Hard to know what the reaction to that story . I think the reaction, i dont know so the short answer is i dont know. What i do know is that the views in new england were mixed it is not right to think everybody was in favor of indian removal, there was a lot of white in new england for example who thought of indian removal as atrocious. They werent necessarily anti racist but it was a complex view of things i can imagine there being applause as well as disgruntled folks in the audience. Not many raised hands, which is fine. Next question, can we dismiss the idea the sermon by the ideas of one who may have held ideas or could he have been expressing those shared . I think the longer we look at this sermon, one of the reasons given for why there was no splash at the time is because it echoed Everything Else everyone else was saying at the time so one explanation for why it never came to fame and stay is because basically winthrop was not that religion when he gave the sermon. Some freight work by the new england quarterly a while ago about the way the sermon echoed the sermons growing up. I think its right to say its singular or something we can dismiss, i think hes echoing a lot of people. Its a fairly commonplace instrument of the kind. The National History generated at the beginning of the 19th century impacted the rest of the movement during the close of the 19th century. Can you say that again . How did they generate at the beginning of the 19th century, impact the reform . I do not know the specific answer but let me explain what sort of happened in my book, as i talk about how these National Histories take shape in the late 19th century, one thing that emerges is first of all, you do have reformers, a lot of reformers in the mid 19th century were reaching back to the puritans for inspiration and claiming, a book that came out last week which is a great book on the role of reimagining the puritans and abolitionists movement and well worth the talk at the mhs but at the end of the 19th century, began to splinter into different traditions. One is the celebration of the puritans bringing freedom and democracy but you also get the same moment, this radically oppositional traditional, the puritans came here for principle of freedom but oppressed everybody. The history of america is a history of escaping. Whats interesting about both is that both of them say america is what it is because of the puritans. Either one of them say america is what it is because of virginia they are still opposite tradition. We have a couple of people who raised their hand. Paul lambert, i went to allow him to speak. Can you hear us, paul . Yes, i can. Can you hear me . Yes. Excellent. This is maybe a technical question but John Winthrop wasnt a clergyman, he was a politician, a lawyer and the city on a hill addresses as a sermon, first of all, since he wasnt a minister, wasnt really a sermon. Number two, if it wasnt a sermon from does that mean he carried lets wait for the people who are listening to it and in 1630 and thats why it should be given less weight if youre looking back at it now . Thats a great question. He was a governor and a lawyer and not a minister. The puritans did have this thing called prophesying, basically what it means is sermons from people who are not ministers. There is a long practice of and thats what i basically believe this to be, i sermon by someone whos not a minister. The reason i argue its a serm sermon, this is where i start to get into my literature side of things, i love to think about the genre of the sermon and the way the genre relates to others so it follows all the parts of a normal puritan sermon, it structured exactly like a puritan summit. I talk about how though i go stepbystep, the first two parts, the part where you begin with scripture like every sermon has to begin with rupture, its missing. So it seems to me that weve got a corrupt text so theres a lot of ways in which we know it is corrupt but this was a further way which is corrupt, falls off the genre expectations but it doesnt start with scripture. I think probably happened is that we lost the first page which is not unusual in transmission so if i get into all that in the book. Jenny has her hand raised, we are going to allow her to speak. Thank you for this great presentation. It made me think about some other things i am reading right now. I just finished pure man help from morton, a real antagonist. He points out that people like hawthorne in the early 19th century start creating narratives where the puritans are not the good guys. I was wondering if you could talk about how these narratives, that are championing an alternative in American History, then the narrative by people like emma, are the and separate ways that are not talking to each other . Or are they ripping on each other . I get into that in my book because what you begin to seek emphasis that happens among literary writers which contrast the emphasis that happens among textbook writers like emma so history begins to write one way while folks like hawthorne begin to write them another way. The other thing that happens, you begin to see a split so you can have it both ways, between the programs to become heroes in puritans who become killers. In the 1800s pilgrims can still be celebrated and you will see this from the pilgrims never had an ordained minister which saved them from being so awful. The puritans were powerhungry and filled with clergyman made it terrible. You see a split between the pilgrims, and theres a reason reagan is articulate about this why he called him not puritan even though he was a puritan. Craig doesnt want to associate his foundation of america with curtains because they have all these negative associations by that time so hes quite conscious about saying winthrop was a program like all people who travel our programs so i will just call him up pilgrims because it sounds better. Theres a way in which the origins messed around with to make the points they want to make. In your research, you happen to come across the city to help talk about films in the 80s, it would be interesting to see the connection between that phrase and popular films of the era. That would be great to say. We startle studies both in the citations were all we could do to track and graph that data. Less it was a printed count, it did intend to have the film references in them. Ever since ive had kids, i stopped watching kids movies. My own knowledge of movies is rather limited. I would be interesting to see how it shows up in these films of the 80s and 90s. I think we can take one more question. Michael raised his hand so we can allow him to speak. Hi, can you hear me . Yes. Great talk, thank you so much. My sense of the sermon has always been, and i can type this up but i realized i didnt phrase it as a restaurant. When cap refers, its very selfaware on his part, you can extract portions of the sermon where he says we are a company professing ourselves. And i wondered to what extent selfawareness of that being a factor in why that sermon rose to the top over the last 50 years. His selfawareness is how aware he is and how everything can go wrong. That doesnt necessarily filter into the ways in which it gets used but one of the things hes very aware of is how every other colony has failed in a visible place of one of the points is love one another not die baseline hes given here and if we go after a selfish pursuit of profit at other peoples expense, this will not last hes very aware of the company the way i write about it, hes trying to create a community in prison. So by saying we profess ourselves . We say we love one another and someone is trying to create a community of fellow christians who want love one another. Abram yes, absolutely. Host im sorry we were not able to get to everyones questions but i would encourage people to buy a copy of the book. We are encouraging folks to purchase books from just a few blocks from where abram is currently standing. I would also point out that the Historical Society is as i mentioned, a nonprofit and were able to bring programs like this thanks to the support of our members. And were aware of the fact that during the current covid19 crisis, many people dont have the ability to support nonprofits but if you do happen to have the ability do so, we certainly appreciate your support. I hope everyone will buy this book. And i hope every one has a