John Winthrop Rhetorical Analysis

John Winthrop was an English Puritan who was a key part in the founding of the first major settlement, the Massachusetts Bay colony. John led himself and groups of English puritans to the new world away from the persecution of the British empire in 1630, during the Puritan Migration. While on their voyage to the new world, Winthrop preached his most famous sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" also known as "City upon a Hill", in an attempt to bond the puritan members and to discuss the influence god has given them, and to set an example of communal charity and unity to the world. These visions for the colony Winthrop had presented ultimately led to the development of the New England colony and influenced the religion and government of nearby

Winthrop mentions god and the lord continuously throughout the excerpt, constantly reminding them of their main purpose for coming into the new world. He states "our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God" he also states "The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us" both of these quotes he is referring to god and he continues to do so multiple times in this excerpt. Winthrop talking about god all revolves around the puritan migration and why they immigrated to the new world to begin with. The puritan migration lasted 2 decades from 1620 to 1640 and consisted of English Puritans migrating to parts of the new world in Massachusetts and the West Indies. The main push and pull factors for migrating was due to the religious prosecution the puritans were facing by New England, leading to the migration in search of a new life and religious freedom as well as to spread the faith of God throughout the new world. All tying to why Winthrop mentions God a number of times, reminding them about their reason for migrating to the new world making his choice of words very effective and

By the use of Word choice, his style, tone, voice, and logos, he was able to have a huge impact on the puritan society, persuading them to follow him, work as one, and most importantly serve god. Although these 3 rhetorical devises weren't the only ones he used, they were the most effective to the audience. By using these rhetorical devises he was also able to show the audience of his capabilities, by establishing visions for the colony and society and presented his intelligent and logical thinking proving him as an effective leader. John Winthrop was a master at the use of language and writing and proves it in "A Model of Christian