The "City on a Hill" conception is quintessentially Yankee, and for the most part the core of a Yankee identity that doesn't exist organically anymore. While that Yankee ethos was instrumental in forging America, it's far from the only contribution, and looking at everything through the Yankee looking glass misses a great deal.
I think the two most valuable US history books I've read in the past decade are Albion's Seed and American Nations. Everything makes a great deal more sense when broken out of the monolithic "American" or bipolar North vs South narrative.
I think the two most valuable US history books I've read in the past decade are Albion's Seed and American Nations. Everything makes a great deal more sense when broken out of the monolithic "American" or bipolar North vs South narrative.