Is America Is Exceptional Essay

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.

Defining what really is to be an American does not sound as easy as it seem. It will always be complex process. As immigration continues to fuel the growth of the population of our nation, racial and ethnic gap increase and evolve along with it. Racial and ethnic identities become more and more convoluted and difficult to understand. Race and ethnicity continue to intermingle and push a cultural shift in the US– a shift that plays a significant role in redefining America in a day-to-day basis.

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

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.

American Exceptionalism explained by David Barton is the longevity of the American U.S. Constitution compared to other nations form of government. America has had an exceptional record of accomplishment of stability because it has not gone through a Revolution over the pass 20-30 years. Alexis DeTocqueville created the term American Exceptionalism. DeTocqueville observation of America lead him to believe that America is an exceptional democratic type of people.

What was the destiny of America viewed by American Exceptionalis? All along as time has advanced, travelers have come here in great hopes to establish a great country, escape from persecution, to become rich, and many other ideas of the American dream, so to speak. After many years these ideas of what America should be has accomplished great achievements and perhaps combined the destinies of many exceptionalist. There are three separate ideas of destiny that I am going to discuss and how they combined to be what America is now.

Conclusion: American exceptionalism is a term used throughout history. Although many leaders and groups believe that America does stand out, the idea of American exceptionalism is proved to be false throughout America's racist and violent history and is still causing issues today, for example the Charlottesville protest. That is why it is important for Americans to not only know the term, but to also understand its meaning and its impact on not only the past but also the future of

Back in the 19th century, there was a common belief that God had destined The United States to expand entirely across the North American continent, and eventually across the entire Western Hemisphere. They believed that what they were doing was justifiable, because they believed that God was telling them to do this. It had a huge impact on who America is today as a country and if the expansion had not occurred, it is easy to believe that America would not be the thriving and successful country that it is now. There were many positive sides to Manifest Destiny such as; America was successful in expanding its land from the east to the west coast, which is a positive, because it allowed many people to come to America who otherwise would not have had the chance because there would have been no room for any more people. Another positive side is that it gave America a lot more culture than it had before. But if there is a positive side, that means there has to be a negative side. One of the negative sides to Manifest Destiny and territorial expansion was that they did whatever they could possibly do to get that land and they did not care who it hurt, killed, or negatively affected in the process. This is the reason why so many people debate whether or not manifest destiny was a good or a bad thing, because there are valid reasons for both sides.

In the article “The Myth of American Exceptionalism” written by Stephen M. Walt, he writes about how, in its most basic form, America is not as exceptional as its citizens perceive it to be. He breaks down the article into smaller, albeit, rather unpalatable chunks ranging from, how what we may see as “exceptionalism” is not quite unlike what many other countries feel about themselves in their own patriotic views, to the belief that America is somehow a nation ordained and led by God. Being mindful that this is just a minute blurb of the entire meat of this article, I would like to begin by saying, for the most part, I agree.

Chapter 1: The Origins of American Political Principles Read Chapter 1: The Origins of American Political Principles Pre-Read: Read the introduction to Chapter 1. Then read the concluding section and skim the subject headings. Answer the questions below. Describe the authors' organization for Chapter 1. Is it organized topically or chronologically?

There is way more things wrong with America, than right. We often notice the things that are wrong more than the things that are right. But believe it or not, we actually do some things right in the United States of America. Although we are critiqued as the nation that is dominant and makes good things seem bad. We do have good programs and people in this nation. We have an outstanding school system for the grades kindergarten all the way to the twelfth grade. As well as amazing Universities that draw in nationalities worldwide. Not to forget, we are one of the proudest countries in the world filled with some of the most patriotic people you’ve ever seen. The United States of America is usually looked down upon for its political and racist radicals. But truly, we are one of the most advanced and intelligent countries in the current era.

An extensive number of us, believe the United States is an extraordinary country. America encapsulates various morals worth celebrating. Clearly, expressing profound gratitude to God for the enrichments he has endeavored on this country is more than fitting. It seems, by all accounts, to be, in any case, that some on the religious right go advance when they talk about American Exceptionalism. The

America, the brave and the strong; when many think of America, these are the things that come to mind. Of course they would think about all the good and prosperous things such as; a rather large and strong military, the outstanding amount of charities, and some of the most powerful and great leaders to go down in history. How couldn’t they? Although there are all sorts of great aspects there are also many down falls to America. America has a huge amount of debt as a whole, some major rough spots in the economy, and a large problem with crimes that deal with shooters.

Where does the foundation of American exceptionalism come from? Throughout American history, many events and efforts have come into creation due to the active persistence of wanting to achieve a nation of greatness. Bret Stephens, an experienced american journalist, expresses how America’s reason for its greatness is from its ability to change morally and constitutionally. American exceptionalism comes from america’s capacity for moral and constitutional renewal. America’s capacity for moral and constitutional renewal can be seen in the ratification of the constitution, creation of new amendments, and the creation of a Bill of Rights.

Americans through the years of existence have adapted well to the radical changes throughout the world. Technology, independence and social equality are some of the diverse concepts the United States have adapted to and developed in order to become a more unified country. Our nation believes that it is exceptional when it comes to other countries worldwide. As can be shown through the popular reference to America as the ‘shining city on a hill’. The term “American exceptionalism” is derived from ideals held by many Americans throughout history. Different people have analyzed American exceptionalism through multiple literary devices. Works such as A Model of Christian Charity, What is an American and Acres of Diamonds illustrate the