Alexis de Tocqueville was the first author to write that 'the position of the Americans' was 'quite exceptional.' But the modern notion of American Exceptionalism emerged in the 50s and 60s, and has been particularly challenged since then. This concept refers to the 'exempt' and 'exemplary' character of the American nation. This nation has been exempt from the cycle of growth and decline, and shall act as a model for all other nations in this respect. This idea of an exemplary nation is highly bounded with the assumption of 'American national superiority.' The predominance of the middle class and the absence of class conflict is also an important component which makes the United States unique. When scholars or politicians, all for this exceptionalism, write or talk about America's distinctiveness, are inclined to ignore the negative side of American history and contemporary behaviours. Thus, the aim of this essay will be to define to what extent this assertion is true and to what extent it is not.
Tags: History of American civilization, Essay on American civilization, Early American Civilization, Ancient American civilization, Rise of American civilization
[...] The notion of American exceptionalism can find its roots in the second wave of English colonists to America. In that respect, the founding of New England is particularly relevant. The first settlers, called Pilgrims, had to establish rules on their own, since they were outside the jurisdiction of Virginia's government. Those men and women, viewed as separatists by the English government, wanted to settle in a land of freedom without any ideological conflicts. The Pilgrims belonged to a group known as the Puritans. [...]
[...] Howard Zinn a radical sociologist quotes in one of his article 11 the Secretary of War Elihu Root who declared in 1899 that American soldier is different from all other soldiers of all other countries since the world began. He is the advance guard of liberty and justice, of law and order, and of peace and happiness.” At the same time, the idea that the United States should be an asylum for the oppressed became an important feature through the American intellectuals. [...]
[...] Finally, the war in 1812 was a good occasion to reassert the notion of an American mission to defend republicanism against the British oppressor: last hope of human liberty in this world rests on [the America]” indeed, Jefferson stated. This notion of exceptionalism did not stay unchallenged a long time. Besides the contemporary scholars, the reality of facts leads us to affirm that America was not just an exceptional country. The observers called attention to two principal failings. First, some of them asserted that Americans had “made little or no progress in the arts or sciences” and were affected with one century of lateness in comparison with Europe. [...]
[...] Shortly before, Beard reaffirmed faith in American exceptionalism by writing that “America is fated to be America besides fate or determinism, there is a creative 12 Greene Jack, The intellectual construction of America, Chapel Hill and London : The University of North Carolina Press p Ibid., p Ibid., p The Constitution of the United States of America art 1 sec For details, see article de Zinn, description by William Bradford Kuokkanen Petri, Prophets of Decline, p intelligence in the world and all the pulling and hauling of world-planners cannot alter the fact” 18 Thereafter, Kennedy, Reagan and more recently Bush have invoked this notion of American Exceptionalism. [...]
[...] Bush carried the idea of American exceptionalism to its limits by putting forth in his national-security strategy the principles of unilateral war. With the against terrorism, the deep moralistic values of America have never been so rooted in American culture. Their moral superiority revives the historic notion of mission which is nothing less than the idea of world-reformation Kuokkanen Petri, Prophets of Decline, p http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/ http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/freedomline/current/america/reagan_farewell.htm One of the consequences of American exceptionalism is that the U.S. government considers itself not bound by international law, except if it serves the American interests. [...]
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