The concept of American Exceptionalism is based on the idea that America is a unique and distinct entity and America is a leading nation in the world based on what it represents and stands for. To this end, this paper will examine how American Exceptionalism is engrained in the society and the international community.
American exceptionalism is viewed from many angles and many contexts. One of the approaches of viewing American exceptionalism is one that views Americans as “a morally elevated people set apart from the rest of the world and living in a land of opportunity that is the envy and aspiration of humankind”.
This definition presents a view steeped in the values of the founding fathers of the United States and their view that America is meant to be a land where people are to be treated with dignity with their civil liberties clearly defined and protected by a constitution. This is to be complemented by a system of rule of law where government’s power is spread throughout three separate arms – the Judiciary, Executive and Legislature. America is a country where government is to work for the betterment of its people and not the other way round. Therefore, Americans are to pay taxes in return for an opportunity to achieve the best quality of life they could ever get. This is in contravention with the traditional European view of common nationalism that people are to be faithful to their nations and their country without question. American exceptionalism is to allow Americans to pursue the highest and best quality of life by working in a government that seeks their individual betterment as opposed to one that seeks to enrich the government and the government is to take decisions for the people in a patriarchal context. The promotion of civil liberties allow citizens’ rights to be protected and enhanced.
American exceptionalism refers to a unique American identity which creates a distinct culture which is different from the culture of all countries around the world including Europe and other continents. Unlike the national identity of people in nations that existed before the United States was founded, American exceptionalism is based on:
Distinctiveness
Mission
Resistance
The distinctiveness of America is based on the fact that Americans are set apart for a moral duty of promoting democracy, civil liberties and human rights. This is something that allows people to be the best they can be by making the government work for them and not the other way round, where people are to be enslaved by their governments. Thus, the distinctiveness of the American identity is a unique identity that is different from all people. Therefore, people from other parts of the world who move into America have an American identity that is steeped in the identity based on the American constitution and its culture that has been defined and built around the American conception.
After the Second World War, America took up the duty of furthering a mission and resistance to the rest of the world. This has a long history and a long background that internationalized the concept of American exceptionalism. The concept of American exceptionalism was limited to American courts and cases before the First World War. In this period, America was pursuing a system of isolationism and had a limited engagement with the rest of the world. Therefore, American exceptionalism was only invoked in courts and other situations where the rights of Americans were at risk. Thus, the courts enforced the fact that America was to be distinct in terms of the treatment of its people and carrying out developmental objectives which was to be different from Europe.
However, America’s involvement in the two World Wars were based on an ideological difference with the European powers it intervened on behalf of – mainly Britain. Britain had rejected the fundamental premise on which the American identity was built. And due to that, America was founded in the first place. However, this process of concentrating power in government instead of the people was responsible for these two world wars. Britain and the major European powers did not give their citizens enough rights and power save for the upper class and the rich. Furthermore Britain and the European powers fought to control colonies and trade routes around the world where the citizens and people had no rights or power. On the other hand, American exceptionalism taught that in order to ensure a peaceful world, the citizens of America and America as a nation must help all other countries to promote human rights and civil liberties of citizens in nations around the world.
After World War II, America presented the concept of the United Nations to create a system of global governance and the protection of civil liberties for all people around the world. This gave America a global leadership status which made America an exporter of the American idea of distinctiveness to people around the world. America after World War II embarked on the mission of leading the entire world. The United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created the basis and foundation for the promotion of the American type of democracy around the world.
The resistance component of the American exceptionalism came up as a result of America’s quest to export and institute American democracy around the world after World War II. World War I ended with America proposing the foundation of promoting American democracy to nations around the world. However, America did not take the center-stage in implementing that. Britain and France sought to implement it but the utilization of their conception of common nationalism caused the world to go to war again after Nazi Germany raised objection to the imperialist type of governance after World War II.
The resistance component of American exceptionalism became important because World War II ended with America sharing the victory with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had a system of governance that was far worse than the imperialist system. However, due to the USSR’s superior military system and process of dealing with Nazi Germany, they emerged as a major country. They sought to spread their version of Communism by hiring groups that represented them in different parts of the world. America on the other hand redefined the concept of American exceptionalism which was the leader of the free world where they laid the foundation for the creation of nations which were free of centrally planned systems and the use of major methods that were focused on creating democratic constitutions that allowed citizens to get their civil rights and human rights protected in all ways and forms.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, American exceptionalism was redefined in the form of promoting free trade and human rights around the world. This led to the rapid democratization of the world and the move from dictatorship to multiparty democracy. This entrenched America’s position as a leader of the free world and allowed American exceptionalism to shine as a system of promoting and enhancing the best interest of nations around the world.
In conclusion, American exceptionalism is not about arrogance or presenting America as better than any other nation in the world. American exceptionalism is based on the concept of identifying a superior system of governance – based on the separation of powers and the protection of civil liberties. This is to ensure that the government works for the people rather than against the people. Naturally, this system of governance created a unique American culture which was exported to other nations after World War II. The challenges of the Cold War required America to put up resistance against the Soviet Union. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union confirmed that American exceptionalism is the best way forward and America is the proverbial “city on the hill” that will lead humankind to the best quality of life possible.
Works Cited
Edwards, Jason and David Weiss. The Rhetoric of American Exceptionalism: Critical Essays. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co Ltd, 2011. Print.
Restad, Hilde Eliassen. American Exceptionalism: An Idea that Made a Nation and Remade the World. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Venzon, Anne Cipriano. The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Wilsey, John. American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015. Print.
