Introduction
The global financial crisis of 2007-2008 changed business and political outcomes in the United States. The desire by the United States government to ensure that its citizens get affordable housing led to a concerted government and business effort that led to the housing bubble and then bust. The new housing policy had its basis in the idea of American exceptionalism. The term "American Exceptionalism," coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831, has historically referred to the perception that the United States differs qualitatively from other developed nations, because of its unique origins, national creed, political philosophy, and religious institutions. ...
