Argumentative Essay On American Exceptionalism

Howard Zinn defines American exceptionalism as the belief “...that the United States alone has the right, whether it be divine sanction or moral obligation, to bring civilization, or democracy, or liberty to the rest of the world, by violence if necessary.” The American exceptionalist ideology has domestic implications found in political rhetoric and within the founding of the United States. External implications of exceptionalism are evident in American foreign policy and militaristic interventions such as Vietnam and Iraq. A new definition of has arisen, highlighting the negative implications of exceptionalism, “Roast beef and apple pie explained exceptionalism but now we are back to moldy rye bread and water.”

Charles Murray’s American Exceptionalism invokes ideas I had not considered before. The way he describes America in its early life is unrecognizable to me. Murray discusses the geographic setting, American ideology, the traits of the American people, and the operation of the American political system. Now, centuries later than the time he described, it is like America had gone on a rapidly fast down torrent. I agree with Murray’s ideas of the exceptional traits America exuded, however, the traits I observe now, and as Murray talks about later on in the book, have taken on a different meaning. It is almost as if the once amazing concepts have been reduced to nearly half their worth. I am in no way stating America is no longer exceptional, but

Relating back to the idea that by American’s believing they are exceptional and attempting to remain that way, they forge their own path for success, propelling the nation forwards. Different countries competing to be the best push each other to become exceptional. Later, President Obama went on to say, “This dynamic, evolving, pressing, expanding, self-critical experiment… An America that’s chronically dissatisfied with itself, because embedded into our DNA is this striving, aspirational quality to be even better… That's what has driven progress for everybody,” (Article 3). Touching on the primal human instinct for competition and our inability to settle when we know we can do better, he explains how this competition is a basic part of our nature. We are all simply striving for what we believe to be the best and in the process we find competition and take pride in our accomplishments, thus resulting in the aspect of not only American exceptionalism but the exceptionalism of various

In today’s world, many people consider our country, The United States of America, to be outstanding and a great country. Others do not think the same. This concept is known as American exceptionalism. This concept has been debated for many years, and to this day it still is. Although American exceptionalism can be hard to define, there are many ways to define it. Some say that we are exceptional because we are superior to everybody else and are better. Others say that God has given us the power to help us succeed. There are many different ways to view it or to understand why we are an exceptional country. Exceptional means that something stands out or is great, and adding American in front of it means that our country is exceptional in one form or another. No matter how one views it, everyone has a standpoint on the concept. Liberals like to think that we are ordinary and because of this, they do not like to believe in the exceptionalism and are “antiexceptionalists.” Conservatives on the other hand, like to think that we are special and unique compared to other countries. Therefore, they believe that we are an exceptional country. The United States of America is different than any other country in the world and that is what helps make us exceptional. From our freedom, to the beautiful country that we live in. Our nation is not only smart and strong, but it is diverse and unique.

American Exceptionalism is a term used to define the ideal that America is far superior to all other countries. It has been used to justify unfair actions and used to cover up flaws. Children are taught from a young age that America is the model country, and the people living there can do no wrong. In school, each bad thing that America has done in history is skimmed over, yet the accomplishments and victories are taught in great detail. For years, Americans have hid behind the phrase American exceptionalism as a way to not only avoid taking responsibility for their actions but to not push themselves to be better, as they already consider themselves perfect. The concept of this exceptionalism impedes the progress and evolution of mankind as they give up caring and trying to better themselves.

The “American dream,” a promise of the ability to turn your life from rags to riches if you try hard in the United States of America, has been the definition of what it means to be an American. But over time it the American dream has changed and its pledge perhaps more viable than ever. This is due to the simple fact that America as a nation has evolved over time and the core values which its people encompass are a reflection of the times. So as an American how do we define ourselves and our nation outside of the American dream? America has been known over time as a “big brother”- protector of mankind. Yet many of our citizens did not have equal rights until the 1960’s and it took the fourteenth amendment to guarantee equal protection

Over and over again, Williams illustrates this theme of “American Exceptionalism.” Throughout the book, there are several occurrences in which the “We are the best, and all that we are doing is of benefit to the world” mentality is shown. On one hand, there is nothing wrong with being proud of roots as an American and believing that America is the greatest country, but on the other hand, using this thought process in in order to legitimize the domination and control of other nations unlike America while preaching one set of values and acting on others, is wrong. We see these actions play out time and time again as America invades and controls other countries “to help” them, however, prohibits the country from experiencing the full advantages of self-determination – a value that America claims to hold i.e. a tragedy of American Diplomacy.

In his 2012 article for the Journal of Church and State, Justin B. Litke argues that this concept of “American exceptionalism” was first introduced to the American public through Winthrop’s

American Exceptionalism has lead the country to believe that it is a victim and a constant target as it subsists in a believed to be a hostile environment. Therefore, America must protect itself and other lands from this presumed hostility. Its duty is to liberate other societies has been realized in many ways. They include foreign aid, diplomacy, economic and political pressure. It even functions as far as including strategies like embargoes. However, if it does not work, there still remains military intervention. For instance, the military operations that the United States has taken in the Arab world. This is considered to be the duty of liberating societies. On the other hand, some would see this as a move by America to make other

A number of contrastive theories dominate American foreign policy operation, both in the present and in the country’s relatively brief history. Among them are exceptionalism, a long-standing, explicitly American ideal that lends us a divine purpose; expansionism, a desire to widen our borders and conquer territories; unilateralism, a freedom to engage with other countries but without formalities such as alliances or agreements; and isolationism, a hesitance to engage with other countries in any manner, to focus on domestic interests. In its brief life, America and its citizens have maintained sturdy exceptionalist mindsets and, arguably, functioned with a mostly unilateral approach. The result of the interaction between exceptionalism, expansionism, and unilateralist thought and belief has created a blurred-lines realist approach

o this day, America has kept the vision that was described by Winthrop and Reagan. In Governor Winthrop's sermon, he spoke of a "city upon a hill" and "dreamed that [the] community would be a guiding light and shining example to the rest of the world" with the blessing of God, and in President Reagan's speech he spoke of a "shining city", that would be a "tall, proud city" and was "God-blessed". In both, they speak of America as being an example to the entire world and is blessed by god, which, the view of America still remains today. America still holds the vision of being an example to the rest of the world, primarily because it was the main country to spark the ideas of freedom, and therefore had continually held onto the vision that Governor

The President-Elect Donald Trump ran his presidential campaign with the slogan ‘Make America Great Again,’ but according to Jon Stewart, a media critic and former host of The Daily Show, no one really asked Mr. Trump that what makes America great? In an interview titled ‘The Trump Effect’ with the CBS News, Stewart answered the posed question that it is “America’s multi-ethnic and multicultural democracy” and the idea of “collectivism” what makes America “an anomaly in the world” (November 2017). America, the new world, was built by freedom seekers who just couldn’t fully use their God given strength as their homelands were becoming chaotic and without any opportunities. In order to pursue their dreams, they voyaged across the oceans for years and connected the other side to the rest of the world. Mostly from Europe, these immigrants settled in the barren parts of the new land which is known as the United States of America today where according to the writer J Hector St. John de Crevecoeur “…individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men…” and every individual is “…an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds…” (RRA 568).

“Make America great again.” It is the campaign slogan of Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, although it is worth noting it was originally Ronald Reagan’s slogan when he ran for President in 1980. When I hear this, I ask myself, “What made America great originally?” There are many arguments for how America was made exceptional. Some say our appreciation for our land, our vast natural resources are the secret of our success. Others point out our determination to keep our liberty and independence is what made us a nation in the first place. The fact that we have religious freedom and separation of church and state must have also played a part in us becoming one of the most powerful nations on earth, as well as our Republican ideology. All of these, in fact, shaped our nation into what it is today: an example of exceptionalism.

John Clayton, was born in the jungles of equatorial Africa, he was the son of, John and Alice Clayton,Adopted as a baby by mona Kala after the death of his parents, Clayton is called Tarzan (white monkey, in the language of the Apes) and is raised without knowing their human condition. Years pass. Feeling alienated from the other monkeys for their physical differences, he finds the old hut of his parents. Tarzan discovers the existence of others like him in books, in the soon learns to read them. One day, returning from a visit to the cabin, he is attacked by a large gorilla. Although he remains terribly wounded in the fight, Tarzan manages to kill the gorilla with the knife of his father. As it grows, Tarzan becomes an excellent hunter, causing envy Kerchak, the leader of the monkeys, which finally attacks. Tarzan kills Kerchak and takes his place

Historians must acknowledge that Americans do not all hold one view. They are a melting pot of different experiences and opinions that all deserve to be heard. I am part of the Realist diplomatic school of thought. The United States has made many poor foreign policy choices. They get involved in too many wars and military power struggles. Most of these do not directly benefit the United States, they become a money pit and source of international political unrest. Americans have historically wanted to fix all the world's problems but their solutions are frequently rejected by other countries because America does not understand that country's point of view. The United States should stop trying to intervene in other countries and look out for their own interests instead. America stands to gain monetarily and politically by stepping back from all unnecessary