What is American Exceptionalism?

American exceptionalism is the ideology or belief that, for one or more of a variety of reasons, the USA as a country and as a people have a superior moral compass to other countries and people and that the actions of the country are inherently beneficial. The reasons why people might think in this way include religious faith, genetic traits, geography and climate and the legacy of being a nation of immigrants with a successful revolution against a tyrannical ‘old’ European power. It is possible, of course, to argue that any and every country in the world is unique according to one or more of these characteristics. Indeed, it is a central part of Nationalism for its proponents to point out the uniqueness of the country being promoted and to consider some kind of historical destiny for its people.

The first use of the concept of American exceptionalism appears to have been by Alexis de Tocqueville, who was an early proponent of the vibrancy and possibilities of American democracy a half-century after the 1776 War. It has been supported over the years by people and institutions of many political and ideological persuasions who have seen some particular value in American goals and purposes, insofar as these can be generalized to all of the people of the country. In recent decades, as political differences between right and left (both broadly defined) have sharpened and attention has switched to the ‘culture wars,’ so the concept of American exceptionalism has become a potent one with which either side attempts to accentuate the truthfulness of their positions.

From a broadly rightist point of view, American exceptionalism is considered to be largely true and explains that American foreign policy has benefited the rest of the world. Hence, American participation in the two world wars are pointed to as being of critical importance in promoting freedom and equality in the rest of the world. In the case of the Second World War, this idea has been supported by the promotion of the soldiers who fought in that war as being part of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ American exceptionalism in this sense is used to explain the wars in Korea and Vietnam (and elsewhere) as valiant attempts to prevent the spread of Communism. It is used in the twenty-first century to explain the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the means to promote freedom against the tyranny of terrorism.

From a broadly leftist point of view, American exceptionalism is portrayed as an often cynical ploy to justify foreign policy excesses which are often kept from the public anyway, often with the support of a compliant media. Consequently, the many attempts to support coups against democratically-elected governments (in Iran, for example and many countries in Latin America) and the use of death squads, drugs dealing and other criminal acts are considered to be wrongly justified by the exceptionalism  myth. The reality is, according to this line of thinking, that American foreign and domestic policy is not motivated by anything more virtuous than motivates people in any other country.

Clearly, this is an issue which can arouse powerful emotions.