Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not?
I believe that in many ways, America is an exceptional nation. Our beginnings are fairly unusual. How many nations have the ability to start with a clean slate and truly select how they are going to live? In the past centuries, America has continued to stand out from other nations in our economic and military power. However, unlike Winthrop, I do not believe that America is a nation of chosen people destined to be an example to all the world. While today, we are among the most powerful nations in the world, our time will pass as it did for the Spanish, the British, and other past super-powers. We are a country made up of remarkable people: entrepreneurs, leaders, artists, and of course, farmers, but we have no predetermined destiny or any particular right to dominate over other nations. To believe so is dangerous. In the colonial days, this was reflected in settlers using Manifest Destiny as justification for taking land from the Native Americans. Today, the American belief that we are exceptional can be seen in our invasion of Iraq to install our own and (in our eyes) superior form of government. While there are many wonderful and unique things about our country, this does not give us any extra rights or privileges compared to other countries.
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Jessica, I like the way you think that America is exceptional but does not have any unequally higher privilege than other countries. This reminded me of Obama's idea that “Leadership is incumbent, depends on our ability to create partnerships because we create partnership because we can’t solve these problems”. Your and his ideas both show that even though America has beneficial characteristics compared to other countries, it should cope with others with respect because one country cannot have the absolute power. However, I disagree with your idea that “How many nations have the ability to start with a clean slate and truly select how they are going to live?” The United States had an advantages as it started because it learned from the mistakes of the Europeans such as religious corruption. Thomas More's Utopia, which opposed the flaws of Europeans, inspired the new settlers. In other words, America could be established more productively than other cases because it could start everything with the most modernized and civilized foundation.
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