Observing that Abraham Lincoln once described the United States as an "almost chosen nation," Robert Jewett offers a critical survey of the history of America's self-understanding as a nation enjoying both divine blessing and a God-given vocation as a "city on a hill." From beginnings at Jamestown, Jewett shows, the American mythology of divine mission has decisively shaped both domestic and foreign policies of the developing nation, and it remains one of the most important forces affecting the United States' role in the world today. [From publisher description].