The idea extends as far back as 1630, when John Winthrop, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first governor, declared that his community must act as a “city upon a hill," setting an example for the world. In doing so, he planted the seed of the values-based approach that was adopted by the US as it spearheaded the development of the rules and structures that order today's world.
在美国，认为本国独一无二，负有促进全球繁荣、安全和自由的特殊任务，这一观念长期以来决定着美国的外交政策。这一观念可以追溯到1630年，那一年，马萨诸塞湾殖民地首任总督约翰·温斯罗普（John Winthrop）宣布他的社区将像一座“山巅之城”（city upon a hill），为全世界树立一个榜样。就这样，他种下了基于价值的方针的种子，美国根据这一方针领导制定了决定当今世界秩序的规则与结构。