City Upon A Hill

"For we must Consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our god in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of god and all professors for Gods sake; we shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into Curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whether we are going"... John Winthrop

Explain the context of John Winthrop's most quoted lines (where was he, under what circumstances did he say these words?). Who was the intended audience? For your "close reading," think "beyond the lines": How has the first line quote come to represent American ideals?