Lipset 1. “As a new society, the country lacked the emphasis on social hierarchy and status differences characteristic of postfuedal and monarchical cultures.” (Pg.5) 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 …show more content…
was unique and therefore allowed the nation to be based on the unique principles of equality, liberty, and individualism. 2. “The United States has been the most religious country in Christendom. It has exhibited greater acceptance of biblical beliefs and higher levels of church attendance than elsewhere” (Pg.5-6) Lipset’s claim of Americans being the most religious citizens in the world is supported with this evidence, despite church and state being two separate entities which is something a large number of nations do not possess.
The fact that church involvement is voluntary also supports Lipset’s idea of Americans being very individualistic and therefore proves that giving citizens the freedom and choice for religion turns out in even greater religious participation. Once again proving that this individualistic ideology the nation is built upon helps to excel the country and makes it exceptional. 3. “Comparative public opinion data reveal that Americans are more patriotic and more willing to fight if their country goes to war than citizens of the thirty or so other countries polled” (Pg.7) This piece of evidence reveals that Americans tend to be more patriotic than the majority of other nations as stated in Lipset’s thesis. This is due for reasons such as citizens believing they are going to war against evil and not for conquest and land. This may give citizens that sense of duty to join the war effort along with the fact that Americans treasure their unique rights and feel it is their duty to protect these rights. Therefore Lipset supports that America is exceptional by stating, ultimately, an advantage we have over other …show more content…
nations. 4. “It has fostered the propensity of Americans to go to court not only against the government, but against each other.” (Pg.7) This supports Lipset’s thesis of American’s being the most individualistic citizens who concern themselves with the protections of their rights by stating the lengths Americans will go to preserve their rights and the willingness to challenge the government if need be. The constitution is what intensifies this devotion to preserving rights and being independent as it aids in protecting citizens against abuse of power by those in government. Lipset also provides evidence that as the United States has grown older, the rights of minorities, women, and even animals have grown significantly which, again, is another aspect many other nations are behind on. 5. “Exceptionalism is a two-edged phenomenon: it does not mean better…With respect to crime, it still has the highest rates; with respect to incarceration, it has the most people locked up in jail…It also has close to the lowest percentage of the eligible electorate voting, but highest rate of participation in voluntary organizations.” (Pg.11) This evidence supports the latter part of Lipset’s thesis where he believes despite all the positive results of the American ideology it has produced some negative results as well making this exceptionalism a “double-edged sword”.
For instance, due to the United States great care for law and rights, many citizens have been incarcerated. The ideology of individualism has caused many citizens to not feel the need to take part in the electorate voting. Despite these negative consequences, Lipset believes these negatives do not take away from America being an exceptional nation as he believes exceptional does not necessarily mean better but rather unique or that the country is an
outlier. 6. “The country remains the wealthiest in real income terms, the most productive as reflected in worker output, the highest proportions of people who graduate from or enroll in higher education…Close to the top in terms of commitment to work rather than leisure, but the least egalitarian among developed nations with respect to income distribution, at the bottom as a provider of welfare benefits” (Pg.11) Lipset lists additional positives of the American ideology while including the negatives to once again support his claim of exceptionalism being a double-edged sword. Due to this individualistic ideal citizens are in charge of their own success or failure depending on how hard and smart they work and because of this there can be very large gaps concerning income. However, due to this equal opportunity at success this causes citizens to strive to work as fast and hard as possible which leads to this high education and high productivity rate that Americans possess. Therefore proving that there will always be two different outcomes in many of these positive scenarios and exceptionalism can only exist as a double-edged sword. 7. “The major divisive, religion-linked social controversies in America, abortion and gay rights, are non-issues in all the industrialized European countries.” (Pg.12)
Within the pages of One United People: The Federalist Papers and the National Idea, author Ed Millican dissects not only The Federalist piece by piece, but scrutinizes numerous works of other authors in regards to the papers written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. As a result, a strong conclusion asserts that the motives of The Federalist was to create a sturdy nation-state but above all, that American polity is far more complex than pluralism and a free-market economy.
For years, America has always been perceived as one of the top world powers due to its ability of achieving so much technological, economical, and social progress within a mere couple decades. Despite their great accomplishments, America is actually regressing psychologically, preventing the country from reaching its true potential as an “opportunity rich” country. In Anthony Burgess’ Is America Falling Apart? , the author unveils the circumstances in which America’s restricting society and selfish ideology cause the nation to develop into the type of society it tried to avoid becoming when it separated from the British Empire.
Thenature of this paper, which deals with the presence of a subconscious set ofparticularly American beliefs, inherently involves more reflection than thegathering of data. Whatsimportant is the way we live, not the historical manufacturing of facts whichis more evidence, not description, of the current Religion of the AmericanEconomy. And while most ofthese truths should be self evident (like any good preamble), some statisticswill be cited to illustrate their culmination in everyday life. To set this new dogma in context, Iwill also describe the founding principles of Christian living, with particularattention paid to the economic reality of what such living entails.
The last two centuries have been full of drastic changes in the human condition. Today, we tend to overlook just how drastic those changes were. Britain during the late 18th Century provides an excellent example because both the Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution were chipping away at the established social order. In Britain, the aristocracy had ruled in relative stability since the medieval period. There were power struggles but the ideology of privilege remained untouchable. British society considered privilege a reward for refinement and expected a gentleman to distinguish himself by following a specific code of conduct. However, his duty and honor depended on more than a code; he also had to feel sympathy for the weaker sex and the lower classes and know when to act accordingly. This sensibility made him “gentle” and a just participant in the governing process. In the 1790’s and 1800’s these gentlemanly ideals were eroding. Yet, while the British did not guillotine their nobles like the French did, many still said that rapid change could unravel the delicate balance of society perpetuated by a refined nobility. The rise of merchants and industrialists into the ranks of the upper class graphically illustrated a shift toward individual success and the selfish ideology of capitalism. Gentlemen through birth and education were losing ground to these nouveaux-rich and consequently the ruling class disconnected further from their communities.
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.
Eck, Diana L. A New Religious America: How a "Christian Country" Has Now Become the World's Most Religiously Diverse Nation. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001. Print
As a free country that aimed to develop republicanism, the United States of America had to carry out several constitutional changes during the early period of development. Of course, there were several factors which contributed in shaping the United States of America during the early national period, and they occurred in political development, religious development, and economic development of the United States, the most important aspects of every modern country. Each of these three aspects were interconnected. Institutions and individuals working in these fields influenced the shaping of America and its Constitution after the Independence War. Although their main influences were the ideals that arose during Enlightenment, there were several obstacles in using ideals from the Age of Reason in creating a liberal republic, so several changes had to be made. The ideals that inspired the Revolution had to be influenced to create a functional reality-based system, not one created on ideals. The biggest influence in many political and economic decisions was the growing tension between the North and the South which fought constantly for interests, followed by the influence of religious groups on the Constitution. However, liberalism was still an important influence in objective political decisions on a federal level.
The 1820s marked the beginning of a new found sense of national pride and self confidence that carried the United States through the nineteenth century. During this period of time, everyday Americans started to disregard the insignificance that many European powers had placed on the United States on the world stage and pushed their democratic republican views into the march of improvement, an echoing new idea in Western culture. What might have been interpreted elsewhere as tediously irritating, it elevated a new goal for mankind. Invoked by the fear of European takeover in the Americas, the foundation of the Monroe Doctrine set up the United States’ hundred year period of isolation from European activity creating new exchanges and opportunities
Document E: Francis J. Grund " Reflections on America," Annals of American History. Ed. The Americans, in Their Moral, Social, and Political Relations, Boston, 1837, pp. 37–41, 206–211, 223–224, 323–324.
In this essay, I posit that despite the harsh clashes between liberalism and republicanism, both elements play important roles in American politics, and their marriage has given birth to a unique America. I will begin by giving brief explanations about liberalism and republicanism, before showing how their dynamic interaction has given rise to American exceptionalism. It is also important to note that the slight emphasis on liberalism more than republicanism that is also evident in the US Constitution.
Religion among Americans is currently very widespread currently. Research shows, approximately 90 percent of Americans profess a belief in God. Therefore religion remains a great influence on American culture. But ironically, the United States is among the few nations that doesn’t establish an official religion. This is called the separation of church and state. The implementation of the separation of church and state, in the 1990s, has been a controversy that has not only transformed the government but also the education of our current society.
In conclusion dating back from the years of 1863 through 1950 certain people like; American women, lawbreakers and, immigrants either went through or, undergo; Americanization, restrictions ,unlawful teachings by harsh critique's that sparked controversy through the widespread of fear alongside unfair judgments from their writings, and the media was all bad behavior and, it should not have been tolerated. The 1920s foretell a dramatic fracture between America’s past and, it’s future. Before World War I the country persisted culturally and psychologically fixed in the nineteenth
Through works read during the year, ideals of what makes someone an American are common. Throughout the year the pieces of literature argue that a true American is someone who is willing to fight in any sort of battle and strife to ensure their rights of freedom as well as the country’s. Within the American dream the ideal is to embrace change, but to also conserve values. Americans epitomize hypocrisy because they want to conserve American culture, but do not conform to the needs of those who embrace the change. To be an American is to be free to express oneself and live their life freely, while to be able to pursue their own happiness; but also to be American is to accept that not all situations will
represents and strongly argues in favor of the first tendency. In his article, “America: The
11, 2001, Americans showed more support for the country as well as its armed forces. Thousands of men and women lined up at recruiting stations ready to defend the nation against all enemies foreign and domestic. After 9/11, it was a time when Americans came together as a Nation, backing the flag, democracy, and defending our values vigorously. According to the United States Department of Defence (DOD), since 9/11/2001 more than 3.16 million Americans have entered military service. Men between the ages of 16-21 were more likely to join the military after 9/11. The percent rose from 15% in August of 2001 to 23% in November and dropped shortly to 18% in December of the same year. As the United States became more and more committed to the war on terror, the reasons for enlisting were increasingly patriotic. People saw the implications of the Nations war on terror and people stood up and wanted to be a part of history. Also a contributing factor to the elevated enlistment numbers and patriotism is the fact that the majority of young people that grew up during a time of war. Unlike past wars, such as Vietnam, the war on terror changed the way the public viewed America’s combat involvement. Vietnam was a very unpopular war with the national draft being involved, and the majority of the nation’s contempt being directed at returning service members. Today, it is easier for the public to differentiate between being able to support the troops even when they may not agree with the war. Patriotism is alive and well in