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American exceptionalism ideologies and character
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American exceptionalism is a belief that the United States is different from other nations around the world and as such superior; the term was coined by Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831, yet the philosophy of American superiority can be traced all the way back to the days before the United States was even an idea. They saw their new culture as “A city upon a hill” and sought to achieve moral and spiritual perfection. With this moral superiority the colonists, later Americans, saw a duty presented upon them by God and nature to instill such superior values into other cultures and the world. One such example can be clearly seen in the work of St. John de Crèvecoeur in Letters from an American Farmer where the narrator “Farmer James” states his belief …show more content…
What is an American these ideas are fully expressed from the start as Crevecoeur states, “a modern society offers itself to his contemplation, different from what had hitherto seen.” (605), thus showing that America is a new land never seen before that is worthy of contemplation and admiration. This belief shows the idea of a better place free of old European social divides and stratification and the promise of a better place. Crevecoeur further expands on this going as far as to call America an asylum, a true place of recovery and safety, for European immigrants and their descendants. These early ideas bring forth the foundation for modern beliefs of moral superiority and thus the right for the United States to encourage and push their own ideals upon others. This supremacy is explicitly expressed by the author as seen in, “we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” (Crevecoeur 606), and displays “James” view that America is indeed better than other cultures and should be treated as such. It is important to note however that the idea of moral superiority does not only come from a utopia of ideas and freedom, but effort, hope, and the ability to push forward in the face of …show more content…
The native’s attitude towards pilgrims, the original laissez faire attitude of the British government towards colonies, and the French attacks during the revolution are all examples of such events. Such events in turn display how continuous effort trough hardship is indeed rewarded by destiny; a destiny often seen by many to be America’s role as the greatest nation on the world. Such belief both contradicts and emphasizes Crevecoeurs utopian society as seen by James C. Mohr in “Calculated Disillusionment: Crèvecoeur 's Letters Reconsidered”. The lines, “America 's destiny is to carry forward the highest ideals and achievements of those previous civilizations, even though their complete realization will certainly be impossible. The "new man," this American, is a person either foolish enough or heroic enough to try to pursue such a destiny.” (Mohr 4), display such belief of America’s destiny to become the peak of civilization and pursue the impossible utopia. This journey can be seen as the Jeffersonian pursuit of happiness also seen during this time period in which the average joe can, trough effort, achieve a dream. This hope given to citizens is a driving force for the same to believe they should give the rest of the world the same opportunity and allow them to achieve their
In the early twentieth century, scholars gain a deeper understanding of the ideology behind those who partook in the American Revolution. People’s motivations throughout the American Revolution are a result of their desire for a new society that is not based on the old world’s standards of monarchy, privilege, and social hierarchy. Likewise, people want a society in the new world to determine one’s status based on one’s abilities, efforts, and talents and to characterize equality. A meritocracy, not monarchy become prevalent in the new world’s society, and one’s family’s reputation, wealth, and titles are no longer important. Therefore, colonists rebuke the old world system, which was questioned throughout the American Revolution. Wood explains that “republic individuals were no longer destined to be what their fathers were” (Wood 99). His explanation shows that scholars treated the American Revolution as an extension of the development America’s meritocracy and as an innovation of America’s resulting society during the early twentieth
Michel-Guillaume-Jean de Crevecoeur was a French born citizen who moved to New York and became a naturalized citizen of Great Britain. After living in America as a citizen for a while, Crevecoeur decided to write an essay titled “Letters from an American Farmer”. During this time, tensions in America between the colonists and loyalists were increasing, and because of this the idea of America as a sovereign nation and territory was becoming popular. Crevecoeur wrote this essay in order to discuss what it means to be an American, and why people should be honored to be called an American. Crevecoeur believes that America is a melting pot of the world, and is full of opportunities for anyone who lives there. In order to back up his claim, Crevecoeur uses rhetorical devices, especially pathos, while he does also use ethos and logos as well.
In his essay titled, “The Transformation of European Society”, Gary Nash argues how seventeenth and eighteenth century United States (U.S.) witnessed the birth of a distinct “democratic personality”. This personality had numerous effects on American society. Mr. Nash believed a society having democratic personalities exhibited the following qualities: individualization, competitiveness, and opportunity. Many factors led up to the creation of each of these traits. Americans wanted their own, distinct life, where they were not told how to act and what to think. Unfortunately, this was idealistic thinking. Reality was that they were swaying from the original goal of working towards the better of community, the Puritan way. Through the traits mentioned above in many ways could help society, they constantly went against it also. For example, many businesses, even parts of the government, were accused of being corrupt, and performing illegal acts in order to get ahead. U.S citizens were given so many options in life, many learned they could do better than what they were born to. The immense amount of land in the West led to many of these options. The land was cheap and unoccupied, meaning that it was relatively easy to gain success and achieve a higher social standing through the land. This was followed by the mindset of the “me” personality in much of American history. This also led to how competitiveness became ingrained into daily rational and overall life. A multitude of people were motivated to achieve more and become the vision of success that was driving their fellow man. Many of their visions were of owning land, and of being able to live a comfortable lifestyle. As Nash states, “living in a place where the ratio of people to ...
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE: ''It is odd to watch with what feverish ardor Americans pursue prosperity. Ever tormented by the shadowy suspicion that they may not have chosen the shortest route to get it. They cleave to the things of this world as if assured that they will never die, and yet rush to snatch any that comes within their reach as if they expected to stop living before they had relished them. Death steps in, in the end, and stops them before they have grown tired of this futile pursuit of that complete felicity which always escapes them.
America has always been looked at as “The New World” where people from all over come to fulfil their dreams. Their dreams may not have been exceptional, but only to have enough to survive, have a house where their children could be raised and feel free and protected. Now, according to Webster’s online dictionary Americanism is defined as a custom, trait, belief, etc., peculiar to the United States of America or its citizens, but to me it means so much more.
This supports Lipset’s claim of egalitarianism being one of the key components of American ideology as he gives a specific historical example of how the United States differed from the majority of other powerful nations at the time because these nations had very established social structures going back hundreds of years. While the United States was a new nation isolated from these other monarchial cultures, and that allowed America to mold its own unique independent path. This supports Lipset’s point of view concerning America being an exceptional nation as the country’s birth
There exists a lot of controversy over the term “American Exceptionalism.” Not only was this debate prevalent many years ago, it also exists today. There are many aspects of American culture that can make it seem like the most superior country in the world, but also there exists many that make it seem otherwise. The term American Exceptionalism is a term that is used to strengthen a country. In times of peril and chaos, the most important action a country can do is to come together as one. Exceptionalism is not only a term for leaders to live by, but also is a term that equates to a sense of pride for the entire country.
"We cannot sit huddled within our own borders and avow ourselves merely an assemblage of well-to-do hucksters who care nothing for what happens beyond. Such a policy would defeat even its own end; for as the nations grow to have ever wider and wider interests, and are brought into closer and closer contact, if we are to hold our own in the struggle for naval and commercial supremacy, we must build up our Dower without our own borders." 1899, Theodore roosevelt his book, The Strenuous Life.
Thus, here in the new land, they view as useful, not as in their home where they were viewed as useless. This tells us that to be an American is to look for one’s happiness. Here they have the opportunity to grow. In this new land, they learn to grow and become better than yesterday. As Crevecoeur states, “The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore, entertain new ideas, and form new opinions” (Crevecoeur 290).
Exceptionalism of a country is the idea that it holds different, more ethical decisions, than all the other countries through time. Some believe the great experiment of america is one of these great exceptions. However, slavery, the industrial revolution, and the expansion of the federal government have all threatened this idea of greatness.
The United States as a country has always been an entity unique amongst the world’s myriad of nations: a conglomeration of cultures, ethnic groups and religious backgrounds from around the planet, all fused together to yield something entirely new. Since its very inception, those who dwell within its borders have attempted to ascertain the makeup of the American identity, in order to pin down how exactly one can come to be considered as an American themselves. This is inherently quite a subjective issue, but the conversation primarily boils down to three core factors that make the American people who they are: a dedication to preserving the natural rights of every human being, a belief in the importance of the individual in deciding their own
Crèvecoeur depicts Americans as though they are a new race or sub-set of people formed from European descent. He mentions, “they are a mixture of English, Scotch, Irish, French, Dutch, Germans and Swedes. From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen” (310-311). Although the American character is founded on liberty, industry, independence, and happiness, Crèvecoeur mentions how extraordinary the diversity is among Americans. Although many Americans came from different customs, traditions, and governments, Crèvecoeur suggests their ability to unite on relatively new ideologies distinguishes them as a nation. Also, adopting the customs of America and rendering an individual's previous traditions, seems to be the product of the high-risk, high-hope behavior distinctive to Americans. He defines, “he is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds” (312). Incorporating new doctrines, governments, and hierarchies the American character develops with the growth of the nation. This becomes exclusive to American identity because it is relatively new as is the American nation and culture. While Americans are unified by similar ideas, and those ideas
On the first day of class, I wasn’t so sure what the term “American Exceptionalism” meant, but by the end I have figured it out. American Exceptionalism is the notion that America is uniquely different from the other nations. The reason America is “uniquely different” from the other nations is because, the world expects America to lead, have values, pursue freedom, be diverse and open, and also practice democracy. Being a democratic nation makes us the city upon the hill. America is like a big brother, other nations look to us for help, guidance, and prosperity. The values and beliefs about politics and the government shape our American culture. The stress on a distinct national identity is appropriate within an increasingly diverse nation state and ever globalizing world. I agree upon this statement, because America deserves to be known as the “it” nation. America is more accepting, we are like a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities.
American exceptionalism is a term suggesting that America was the best or superior; it was a term saying that it was different than any other place. Winthrop talks about the city upon the hill, which suggests America being a model or setting an example for other countries. We were supposed to be a beacon of liberty and freedom. During the founding of America, America was different than any other place. At its founding America was exceptional because it was different in the way people interacted with each other, different in the way the government worked, and different in its aspirations.
In determining to which dimension the French and the Americans belong to we should look at the differences in how they deal with their cultural problems and how they perceive the world around them. America was referred to as ‘The New World’ when it was discovered and this is still relevant to this day in its national identity. America was built on philosophy and freedom of expression, in a way derived from the new, bountiful land that greeted the first settlers. With a blank canvas it was seen that anything that you set out to achieve was possible because you had at your disposal a seemingly endless supply of material and land to do what you wished, which was no longer available in Europe. This frontier mentality encapsulates the ‘American Dream’, you can achieve any goal and after the presidency was established after the War of Independence, that any citizen could become president, and not have it depend on their social standing or wealth. The greatest proponent of this ideal was Abraham Lincoln who came from simple beginnings to become the most important and revered of all US presidents.