American exceptionalism: history, ideology, and global influence

American Exceptionalism

When the American electorate re-elected George W. Bush as their President in November 2004, the rest of the world shook its head in collective amazement. They could not understand how someone the world 'loved to hate' and who, in their opinion, had committed 'monumental blunders' in his four years in office, could be chosen by so many Americans as their leader. They need not have been surprised having been forewarned by people such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Seymour Lipset about the phenomenon called 'American Exceptionalism.' Good or bad, America is different and the Americans often behave in vastly different ways from people living in the rest of the world. This essay highlights some of these differences.

The roots of 'American Exceptionalism' can be traced to the very origin of the country -- the United States having been founded on the principles of "equality," the inalienable rights of man and liberty instead of common ethnicity, culture or language. Unfortunately, the professed basis of its nationhood was itself accompanied by double standards. The concept of "equality," "liberty" and "inalienable rights" being exclusively reserved for the white, property owning male with such 'basic rights' completely bypassing the Native Americans, the black slaves and the women for long periods of the nation's history.

This schizophrenic dichotomy in the American history has continued to dog the subsequent actions of Americans. While Americans have firmly believed in their "Manifest Destiny" and embarked on numerous crusades to bring democracy to the world and to fight tyranny wherever it exists, they have practiced 'ethnic cleansing' of the American Indians at home, tolerated Jim Crow laws that prevented Afro-American suffrage in several U.S. states until the 1960s, and blatantly supported dictatorships around the world whenever it suited their interests. ("From Sea to...")

Another paradox of America and Americans that is perplexing for many outsiders is the fact that a majority of Americans are extremely religious and moralistic in their attitudes. This is despite the fact that the America's founding fathers had strictly forbidden the encroachment of religion in governmental affairs. It is also, perhaps, one of the reasons why so many Americans considered issues such as 'same-sex marriages' and 'abortion' as more important than the state of the economy and the Iraq war in the recent Presidential elections.

All, of course, is not bad about 'American exceptionalism' and it has several positive aspects. The Americans have few hang ups about social classes as compared to other nations. Their strong work ethic and belief in 'meritocracy' has created a remarkable "land of opportunity" where countless people have pursued and achieved the 'American Dream.' No other country can lay claim to such a level-playing field of opportunity for people of different social classes. It is arguably one of the reasons why socialism did not take root in the United States as opposed to its popularity in Europe and other parts of the world. 'Meritocracy' in the U.S. is also largely responsible for making it a leader in the unequal distribution of income. (Lipsett)