This guy seems a little too perfect for me. However, I will take the author as being truthful and roll with it. If he indeed did do everything that was said he made the perfect leader for the settlement of a new American colony. If we take a look at America, during it's birth and the period of the revolution, many similarities can be found in the "ideal" America the founders strived to accomplish and Winthrop's views.
The first example of this I found was on page 121. The first paragraph tells how Winthrop felt about running the new colony. The previous page states that he wanted to be fairly easy on the settlers so people did not violate the laws so much. This brought about controversy among some of the other officials. Winthrop say though that the settlements should not be exactly like their homeland. He felt that things should be questioned and the settlers should be open with each other. This was the same attitude that Americans felt during the Revolution.
Another attitude was that people should help the poor and it showed signs of welfare like thought process. The notion that is is "better to give than receive" is a very honest one and Winthrop's Christian background helped the settlement to grow. He would give food out if people were hungry, yet did not want to receive anything in return. This showed that he was for the greater good and not just himself, a concept that is a foundation in a democratic society.
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I see your point. Yes, John Winthrop does seem a bit like a "do gooder", but I think that was a role that people needed to see during that time. They needed a person to lead them with confidence in its people. Maybe he was a bit farfetched at times, because sometimes we need the harsh truth, but then again don't the puritans not question things? Which surprises me that Winthrop would question situations instead of just taking them all as truths. I think Winthrop would fit the opposite of the Plato article we read, instead of staring at the wall with the shadows he somehow chooses to look away and see the real reality.
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