Shining City Quotes
The phrase “city upon a hill” was first used by John Winthrop in 1630 which is probably taken from Matt. 5:14-16 “a city that is set on a hill.” See related quote. It was then used in a speech by President Kennedy with attribution to Winthrop. President Reagan used it without the attribution and embellished it by adding the adjective “shining” which many people thought was in the original Puritan statement. The Reagan video and audio clip has been so viewed so many times that people think the phrase originated with Reagan.
President Reagan had given one of his classic, optimistic speeches that connected so well with most of the public. In it he used the Winthrop Puritan metaphor of the "shining city on the hill"—an example that the world will look to in his description of America. His administration was the beginning of a long ear where the upper class grew wealthier and the standard of living of the poor actually decreased a little, which then evolved to the stage where the 1 percent accelerated their increase in wealth and even the middle class stagnated. Cuomo sounded the warning.
This quotation electrified the crowd as few speeches at Democratic conventions ever had. The speech turned Cuomo into a national political figure and made him the front runner for the Democratic Presidential Nomination for the next 8 years. But he never chose to run despite overwhelming support and polls indicating he would be victorious in a general presidential election.
