"American Exceptionalism"
"City on a Hill"
"Indispensable Nation"
Hmm...now seems like a good time to reflect on America being "special" among nations
[THREAD]
"City on a Hill"
"Indispensable Nation"
Hmm...now seems like a good time to reflect on America being "special" among nations
[THREAD]
Where did the idea of 🇺🇸 being "unique" and "special" come from?
One could claim that it goes back to the founders.
Indeed, George Washington's farewell address hints (okay, more than hints) at the idea:
Indeed, George Washington's farewell address hints (okay, more than hints) at the idea:
The word "exceptional" applied to the USA goes back to Alexis de Tocqueville in "Democracy in America"
In his 14 points speech Woodrow Wilson, took the idea that the US is different and can chart a different path to suggest that the US could LEAD a different path
This idea of American leadership was later described by then President-elect JFK as America being the providential "city on a hill"
Of course, Ronald Reagan later echoed this idea a number of times, such as during his "A Vision for America" speech in 1980
Being "exceptional" & a "city upon a hill" later became, according to then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, "indispensable", as she expressed in a 1998 interview with Matt Lauer
Of course, the idea of 🇺🇸 being "unique" or "special" has been criticized...many times.
For instance, @ForeignPolicy has published a number of pieces critical of the US being unique.
I pointed out in @DuckofMinerva that the US was more "asshole" than "indispensable"...
duckofminerva.com/2019/03/asshol…
duckofminerva.com/2019/03/asshol…
...and I've shared before that I get nervous when US leaders begin talking as American is on a divinely guided mission
Such skepticism of America's uniqueness appears to be fairly widely held, at least among certain demographics.
According the @ChicagoCouncil survey, Millennial's, Gen Xer's, and even Boomer's are less sold on "American Awesomeness"
A nice balanced take on this whole issue was recently offered by @hilderestad in @TXNatSecReview
tnsr.org/2019/12/whithe…
tnsr.org/2019/12/whithe…
The US is definitely a major power and, for awhile, a hegemon.
As @dmedelstein said, "Hegemons going Hegemon".
As @dmedelstein said, "Hegemons going Hegemon".
And hegemonic states do have certain responsibilities
But that doesn't make the US uniquely special...or even really unique.
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