Example Of American Exceptionalism

“The Power and the Glory: Myths of American Exceptionalism” by Howard Zinn brings light to American exceptionalism which is the perception that the United States differs from other countries. He starts off by providing an example of when this idea of exceptionalism started; using the phrase a “city upon a hill” creates an image of liberty and democracy in which others can look to as an example. This image is slandered when the morality of past actions such as the massacres of Native American villages throughout the country are brought into the picture. Conquering territory and the mistreatment of the occupants who choose to resist are constant throughout history. The justification that goes into expansion is seen as “divinely ordained”; such

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.

We have issues: more specifically , the United States has issues, continuous and all-encompassing issues of racial inequality.The United States is experiencing a outburst of racism, as can be seen from the 2014 killings of two unarmed African-American men, to the brutality of white supremacy in Charleston and the string of arsons in black churches across the South. Of course, it’s nothing new for a nation with a long history of extreme racist violence—the most recent lynching-related death occurred in 1981, hardly a lifetime ago, when Michael Donald was hanged by two members of the Ku Klux Klan.The United States, however, continues to avoid its history on race, refusing to confront its past in a “post-racial,” “colorblind” society, and that policy of systemic ignorance is particularly strong when mention of racial equality is brought up. Although the concept of equality has never truly existed in this world, as can be traced back to the very beginnings of recorded history we see the nobles ruling the commoners, conquerors reigning over the conquered, the will of man dominating women; the United States needs to acknowledge the fact that racial inequality still exists within our country and has in no way progressed towards betterment.

After receiving a charter from the British Massachusetts Bay Company to settle across the lands of current-day Massachusetts, and abandoning his manor lordship in English, John Winthrop would declare towards those settles of the Massachusetts Colony that "We shall be as a city upon a hill,". The idea of American exceptionalism is an idea that has been dated back towards the time of settlement, and that could be traced into the current twenty-first century. When we trace this idea from beginning to end, one is able to see that American exceptionalism was a good thing for the world as a whole. By analyzing the spreading of the American political ideas into the European nations, and how American acted as the defense against tyranny, one will be able to understand the reasons why American exceptionalism has created good in the world. Additionally, there will be discussion of the pro-team of the team, the process of their research, the reason why they lost, and what could be improved.

In today’s day and age, the United States of America is seen of as the land where every human being is treated fairly. However, it was not always like this and America was considered to be one of the most racist countries in the world up until the 1980’s. From 1885 to 1968, when the Jim Crow laws were in place, black people were segregated from whites and were treated like second class citizens. However, black people fought for equality all throughout the Jim Crow era and finally succeeded after the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. Blacks in the American South sought to improve their lives by supporting and helping white people that had helped them before, by joining the American military, and by protesting against segregation and their rights.

The problems of race the United States confronted are deeply imbedded in the historical past of the nation. Due to the fact that a great majority of the nation’s African Americans lived

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.

Commencing with the straightforward, yet unethical act of introducing slaves, regardless of race, to America, racial tension wedged itself into America’s atmosphere in the past, its conscience in the present, and legacy in the future. As America’s racial history did not reflect the most pleasant aspects of the events and concepts in America’s history, its racial history, however, profoundly reflected the racial relations we, as individuals and a collective society experience today, with present events regarding racial issues able to be traced back to racial conflicts in history such as the civil rights movements, racist laws designed to maintain the social hierarchy, and white supremacist groups that exist to this very day.

In order for something to be exceptional, it must be different than the rest of a group, and this is how America can be viewed as – different from the rest of the world. America is exceptional because it has the freedom of religion, an excellent educational system, and various aspects of individualism. One reason as to why America is exceptional is that it enables its citizens to have the freedom of religion. America is one of few countries that has sectarianism, or the devotion to a certain sect of a religion (Lipset). Sectarianism gives American citizens the freedom and choice of developing a relationship with their god.

Undoubtedly, America has made many considerable mistakes in its past which have not been easily forgotten, nor should they be. The topic of slavery in the United States induces remarkably fervent discussion among historians without fail, and the Civil War is prominent as a fanatically studied historical event. Although both came to an end in 1865, they remain worthwhile topics of study for a modern population faced with pressing social issues of their own. Indeed, many of these problems that burden present-day society are rooted in the country's legacy of human bondage, which carved scars into the nation too deep to simply disappear. However, if the American population – both black and white – can come to terms with the nation's past, a more

While some find us arrogant, condescending and imperialistic, those who have come to join us in America find that there is some truth in the notion that our country is unique. Nowhere else is the freedom to express and improve yourself so widespread, and no other country welcomes those seeking that freedom so openly. Assimilation to our culture is not forced, but it is the rare individual who does not welcome it once they are here. Many people consider themselves to be the best humans on the planet, or maybe the only ones chosen by their god to succeed, but nobody can claim to be as powerful and prosperous as Americans are. To us the idea of American Exceptionalism is not propaganda or a myth; it is the understanding that the only way to the make the most of oneself is to have the freedom to do so.

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

As John Winthrop once described what would become the United States as a city upon a hill, American Exceptionalism was born on enlightenment principles of political liberty and equality. This political foundation of liberty and equality for the United States in the new world was founded on the idea of natural, God given rights, and these enlightenment principles seen the Declaration of Independence became the core of American political thought would survive and evolve through nineteenth century Hegelism culminating in the American Civil War.

American leaders always talks and refer to the "unique" responsibilities of the United States According to them their nation is different from other nations

There is no doubt that we should acknowledge how far we have come as a nation since the days of slavery, Jim Crow and legalized segregation, but at the same time we should not equally lie to ourselves and act as if racial oppression has completely disappeared from the American landscape. We cannot continue to deny or erase historic and present-day American racism, our racial past and future is something that we Americans must address.