Question

List the 4 aspects of "American Utopia" and how it is just specific to the U.S.'s development as a nation

Answer 1

Utopia is a concept that has been around for a very long time. Its origin took place in Europe around the 1800´s and the first person to every write about this concept and its principles was Sir Thomas More, an English nobleman who lived and worked hand-by-hand with Henry VIII. After his book was published, this religious and philosophical theory affected the lives of many people, including the Protestan movement in Europe. Many of the principles put forward by Utopia were adopted and adapted by protestants all over Europe and one such group was the Puritans who arrived in Massachusetts under the leadership of John Winthrop. Making use of the principles of Utopia, and particularly some of the Bible´s Gospels, especially Matthew, Winthrop and his followers established the first town in America that was solely ruled by utopian principles. The main and most important of these was the ideal that this new settlement would become the true "City of God". This principle became the framework for most of what happened in the first settlements by the Puritans and thus many of the actions and events that followed were guided by Puritan desire to overcome evil and wickedness in the new world. This principle saw changes throughout time and soon evolved into not only religious devoutness, but also patriotism and the belief that what was righteous was for America to be independent from the wickedness of the English crown. It fed, therefore, the desire for independence. The second principle was the origin of the Jeremiad, the role of Americans and America to become a Redeemer in the world. Aside from the strong sense of patriotism, Americans began to believe that in their nation all things good reigned and this led them also to undertake policies that sought to help other nations also reach such perfection. The third thing was how this strong belief in perfection and goodness led Jeremiads to be able to see what was wrong in America and with it to establish programs and courses of action that in their eyes would correct such problems. The fourth and most important of this American Utopia was the belief in the importance of advancement and progress, especially technological. This principle became really vital to what became the United States later on, as it guided the nation to support with policies these kinds of advances that turned the country into a power pretty early in its history compared to other nations.