Examples Of American Exceptionalism
American Exceptionalism
1630
The colonists must work to make New England a model for future settlements. Puritan lawyer John Winthrop states that the new land is to “be as a city upon a hill,” and, “the eyes of all people are upon us”
1776-89
Thomas Paine describes America as a beacon of liberty for the world stating, “Freedom hath been hunted around the globe.” He goes on to say that America is not like any other, and the world does not know how to regard her.
Declaration of independence
Revolution
Constitution
1840
French intellectual Alexis de Tocqueville writes that the "position of the Americans" is "quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one."
1898
Mark Twain writes, …show more content…
"There is but a single specialty with us, only one thing that can be called by the wide name 'American. ' That is the national devotion to ice-water. ... I suppose we do stand alone in having a drink that nobody likes but ourselves."
1914
President Wilson expands on Paine’s notion, and states that it is America’s duty to spread liberty abroad, "For that is the only distinction that America has."
1929-1930
Stalin condemns America’s exceptionalism. The USA communist part says this about American exceptionalism after the great depression: “The storm of the economic crisis in the United States blew down the house of cards of American exceptionalism.”
1950
Agroup of American historians including, Daniel Boorstin, Louis Hartz, Richard Hofstadter and David Potter, state that our ideals have indeed allowed us to sidestep fascism and socialism, but they are not sure if this can be reproduced elsewhere. Boorstin states, "Nothing could be more un-American than to urge other countries to imitate America."
1961
President John F. Kennedy goes back to Wintrop’s “City upon a hill” and states, "More than any other people on Earth, we bear burdens and accept risks unprecedented in their size and their duration, not for ourselves alone but for all who wish to be free." He believes that America’s distinctiveness stems from its determination to exemplify and defend freedom all over the world.
1975
American exceptionalism took a major blow during this time of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Socialist Daniel Bell writes, “the belief in American exceptionalism has vanished with the end of empire, the weakening of power, the loss of faith in the nation 's future."
1980
reagan reasserts faith in america: “"I 've always believed that this blessed land was set apart in a special way,"
1989
with the end of the cold war, there is a belief that the America model could become the norm, not the exception
1996
in response to NATO’s intervention in Bosnia, President Bill Clinton declares, "America remains the indispensable nation" and that "there are times when America, and only America, can make a difference between war and peace, between freedom and repression."
2000
exceptionalism becomes very political when George W. Bush speech writer says that there are two competing visions of internationalism in the 21st century: the " 'global multilateralism ' of the Clinton-Gore Democrats" vs. the " 'American exceptionalism ' of the Reagan-Bush Republicans."
2007-2008
while running for office, Barack Obama states, "I believe in American exceptionalism, but not one based on "our military prowess or our economic dominance."
2009
President Barack Obama became the first president to use the phrase “American exceptionalism” publicly
(Friedman, Uri)
American exceptionalism refers to the United States being a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty (Daniel).
American exceptionalism is also the belief that the United States is unique, or exceptional, when compared with the historical development of other countries (Friedman, Thomas). The revolution and the freeing of ourselves from Great Britain are very important to the ideas of American exceptionalism. Because of this belief, it is assumed that things such as dictatorship or terrorism cannot happen here (Daniel). We are the ones who are supposes to play an activist role on the global scale by promoting freedom and setting an example. This is exemplified when John Winthrop declared that the new land is to “be as a city upon a hill,” and, “the eyes of all people are upon us” in 1630, before America was truly even founded (Friedman, Uri). We had already begun to see ourselves as more virtuous. This worked itself into our forming foreign policy …show more content…
(Perl). Because we are supposed to be helping others gain democracy, America sought to gain regional hegemony over it’s sphere of influence (Latin America) rather that create military alliances with Europe (Daniel). We didn’t want to get weighed down by Europe’s struggle to assert a balance of power, rather, we did not want them to interfere with our sphere of influence (Daniel). Although we saw the Manifest Destiny as an imperial program that sought to exercise its power over other peoples, we ourselves, exercised sovereignty over a number of overseas territories, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba (Perl). Americans believed they were uniquely suited for benignly ruling foreign peoples. We may have kept European powers from taking advantage of the Latin America states, but that does not mean that they did not feel our presence themselves (Perl). American exceptionalism is not always seen on a positive note, however. Because America believes itself to be of greater moral superiority, even though it has had its share of failures, many other nations worldwide hold dislike or resentment for the United States (Wrobel). One of its major characteristics from a historical viewpoint, is that it tends to skim over what would be considered “bad history” (Wrobel). We have had periods where we were racist or violent towards others, considering the wars we have had, the Native Americans, or the slaves we once had (Wrobel). So are we truly that much different from any other nation, or are we now discredited? Many with an American exceptionalism view say that America should be a model for the rest of the world (Friedman, Thomas). However, many critics say that the conditions that arose at the time America was formed, cannot be replicated. So, in, short, other countries are seen as trying to catch up, but never do (Friedman, Thomas). In addition, America still tend to be idealistic in its justification for intervention. We have had many many interventions that had zero basis in national interest (Wrobel). We see our own military as inherently good, but another in a different country seeing the bombs that we drop, may have a different viewpoint (Wrobel). All this has led some to deem America as more “unique,” or simply different (Joyce). However, there are still many who do not believe those to be equitable substitutes saying that America 's greatness comes from her religious, political and intellectual heritage, and that will continue (Joyce). Still others believe that America’s difference is only temporary and that America will eventually be like other countries. American exceptionalism contains a complicated and often contradictory set of assumptions, but they are nevertheless assumptions that have thrived in American society (Joyce).
Bibliography
Daniel, T.
Rodgers. "American Exceptionalism Revisited." Raritan 24.2 (2004): 21-47. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Friedman, Thomas L., and MICHAEL MANDELBAUM. "America Really Was That Great (But That Doesn 't Mean We Are Now)." Foreign Policy 189 (2011): 76-78. America: History & Life. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Friedman, Uri. "A Short History of American Exceptionalism." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co., Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.
Joyce, E. Chaplin. "Expansion and Exceptionalism in Early American History." The Journal of American History 89.4 (2003): 1431-55. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Perl, Anthony. "The Roots of American Exceptionalism." Canadian Journal of Political Science 38.3 (2005): 791. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Politics Collection; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Wrobel, David M. "Exceptionalism And Globalism: Travel Writers And The Nineteenth-Century American West." Historian 68.3 (2006): 431-460. America: History & Life. Web. 21 Jan.
2013.
1630
The colonists must work to make New England a model for future settlements. Puritan lawyer John Winthrop states that the new land is to “be as a city upon a hill,” and, “the eyes of all people are upon us”
1776-89
Thomas Paine describes America as a beacon of liberty for the world stating, “Freedom hath been hunted around the globe.” He goes on to say that America is not like any other, and the world does not know how to regard her.
Declaration of independence
Revolution
Constitution
1840
French intellectual Alexis de Tocqueville writes that the "position of the Americans" is "quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one."
1898
Mark Twain writes, …show more content…
"There is but a single specialty with us, only one thing that can be called by the wide name 'American. ' That is the national devotion to ice-water. ... I suppose we do stand alone in having a drink that nobody likes but ourselves."
1914
President Wilson expands on Paine’s notion, and states that it is America’s duty to spread liberty abroad, "For that is the only distinction that America has."
1929-1930
Stalin condemns America’s exceptionalism. The USA communist part says this about American exceptionalism after the great depression: “The storm of the economic crisis in the United States blew down the house of cards of American exceptionalism.”
1950
Agroup of American historians including, Daniel Boorstin, Louis Hartz, Richard Hofstadter and David Potter, state that our ideals have indeed allowed us to sidestep fascism and socialism, but they are not sure if this can be reproduced elsewhere. Boorstin states, "Nothing could be more un-American than to urge other countries to imitate America."
1961
President John F. Kennedy goes back to Wintrop’s “City upon a hill” and states, "More than any other people on Earth, we bear burdens and accept risks unprecedented in their size and their duration, not for ourselves alone but for all who wish to be free." He believes that America’s distinctiveness stems from its determination to exemplify and defend freedom all over the world.
1975
American exceptionalism took a major blow during this time of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Socialist Daniel Bell writes, “the belief in American exceptionalism has vanished with the end of empire, the weakening of power, the loss of faith in the nation 's future."
1980
reagan reasserts faith in america: “"I 've always believed that this blessed land was set apart in a special way,"
1989
with the end of the cold war, there is a belief that the America model could become the norm, not the exception
1996
in response to NATO’s intervention in Bosnia, President Bill Clinton declares, "America remains the indispensable nation" and that "there are times when America, and only America, can make a difference between war and peace, between freedom and repression."
2000
exceptionalism becomes very political when George W. Bush speech writer says that there are two competing visions of internationalism in the 21st century: the " 'global multilateralism ' of the Clinton-Gore Democrats" vs. the " 'American exceptionalism ' of the Reagan-Bush Republicans."
2007-2008
while running for office, Barack Obama states, "I believe in American exceptionalism, but not one based on "our military prowess or our economic dominance."
2009
President Barack Obama became the first president to use the phrase “American exceptionalism” publicly
(Friedman, Uri)
American exceptionalism refers to the United States being a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty (Daniel).
American exceptionalism is also the belief that the United States is unique, or exceptional, when compared with the historical development of other countries (Friedman, Thomas). The revolution and the freeing of ourselves from Great Britain are very important to the ideas of American exceptionalism. Because of this belief, it is assumed that things such as dictatorship or terrorism cannot happen here (Daniel). We are the ones who are supposes to play an activist role on the global scale by promoting freedom and setting an example. This is exemplified when John Winthrop declared that the new land is to “be as a city upon a hill,” and, “the eyes of all people are upon us” in 1630, before America was truly even founded (Friedman, Uri). We had already begun to see ourselves as more virtuous. This worked itself into our forming foreign policy …show more content…
(Perl). Because we are supposed to be helping others gain democracy, America sought to gain regional hegemony over it’s sphere of influence (Latin America) rather that create military alliances with Europe (Daniel). We didn’t want to get weighed down by Europe’s struggle to assert a balance of power, rather, we did not want them to interfere with our sphere of influence (Daniel). Although we saw the Manifest Destiny as an imperial program that sought to exercise its power over other peoples, we ourselves, exercised sovereignty over a number of overseas territories, including Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, and Cuba (Perl). Americans believed they were uniquely suited for benignly ruling foreign peoples. We may have kept European powers from taking advantage of the Latin America states, but that does not mean that they did not feel our presence themselves (Perl). American exceptionalism is not always seen on a positive note, however. Because America believes itself to be of greater moral superiority, even though it has had its share of failures, many other nations worldwide hold dislike or resentment for the United States (Wrobel). One of its major characteristics from a historical viewpoint, is that it tends to skim over what would be considered “bad history” (Wrobel). We have had periods where we were racist or violent towards others, considering the wars we have had, the Native Americans, or the slaves we once had (Wrobel). So are we truly that much different from any other nation, or are we now discredited? Many with an American exceptionalism view say that America should be a model for the rest of the world (Friedman, Thomas). However, many critics say that the conditions that arose at the time America was formed, cannot be replicated. So, in, short, other countries are seen as trying to catch up, but never do (Friedman, Thomas). In addition, America still tend to be idealistic in its justification for intervention. We have had many many interventions that had zero basis in national interest (Wrobel). We see our own military as inherently good, but another in a different country seeing the bombs that we drop, may have a different viewpoint (Wrobel). All this has led some to deem America as more “unique,” or simply different (Joyce). However, there are still many who do not believe those to be equitable substitutes saying that America 's greatness comes from her religious, political and intellectual heritage, and that will continue (Joyce). Still others believe that America’s difference is only temporary and that America will eventually be like other countries. American exceptionalism contains a complicated and often contradictory set of assumptions, but they are nevertheless assumptions that have thrived in American society (Joyce).
Bibliography
Daniel, T.
Rodgers. "American Exceptionalism Revisited." Raritan 24.2 (2004): 21-47. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Friedman, Thomas L., and MICHAEL MANDELBAUM. "America Really Was That Great (But That Doesn 't Mean We Are Now)." Foreign Policy 189 (2011): 76-78. America: History & Life. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Friedman, Uri. "A Short History of American Exceptionalism." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing Co., Inc., n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2013.
Joyce, E. Chaplin. "Expansion and Exceptionalism in Early American History." The Journal of American History 89.4 (2003): 1431-55. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Perl, Anthony. "The Roots of American Exceptionalism." Canadian Journal of Political Science 38.3 (2005): 791. ProQuest Central; ProQuest Politics Collection; ProQuest Psychology Journals. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
Wrobel, David M. "Exceptionalism And Globalism: Travel Writers And The Nineteenth-Century American West." Historian 68.3 (2006): 431-460. America: History & Life. Web. 21 Jan.
2013.