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The invincible country?: American exceptionalism explained

  • Matilda
  • Jul 19, 2020
  • 6 min read

Updated: Jul 21, 2020

July 18, 2020


American exceptionalism is the conscious or subconscious belief that the United States is somehow set apart from other nations; that it is "special"; the exception.

Ronald Reagan's rhetoric of the U.S. being a "shining city on a hill" embodies this attitude. Especially in past decades, America has viewed itself as the epitome of freedom—the country which all other nations should aspire to be. Many people still see the U.S. this way. And while it is true that America has played a major part in the global politics of the past century, and there's nothing wrong with being proud of your nationality, American exceptionalism is something different. It's the belief that the United States is inherently and unconditionally the most powerful, most benevolent, and most free country on the planet. And while many of these claims are just plain incorrect, there's a deeper risk in this ideology. But before we explore the current effects and implications of these beliefs, let's take a step back and look at how America got here.


so...how did we get here?

The U.S. has been viewing itself as the exception from the very beginning, in the Revolutionary War (most other countries call this the American War of Independence). In need of support, rebels against British forces had to design a framework for a nation that was not only independent, but that sounded uniquely promising. G.K. Chesterton once said that "America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. That creed is set forth by dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence ...". The Declaration optimistically describes a nation in which "all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness ...". And while the world in 1776 certainly looked at America with interest, it did not always share the country's proud views of itself. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French diplomat who attributed great praise to the American system of government, also offered surprisingly accurate warnings of its dark side. Tocqueville also condemned the U.S.'s violent seizing of Native American land. The New Yorker sums up his criticisms in the statement that "America is expert at talking a noble language while committing ignoble deeds" (here's the full article). But despite its critics' writings, a growing America continued to have an exceptionalist view of itself, later coining the term "Manifest Destiny" to feel better about massacring millions of Indigenous people. America's macabre double standards started at the country's birth. But despite these internal contradictions, the United States has managed to gain extraordinary power and respect in the international community.

Because of its harsh conquests, natural resources, and (later) industrialization, the U.S. started to become quite rich. In the world wars, this wealth was a catalyst for America's current political power. A quote from a video published by Vox explains America's rise to power:


"World War II would transform America's global presence forever. The United States was the only major power to avoid economic ruin during the war, and it was the sole country equipped with atomic weapons. As such, it was in a unique position to set the terms of the peace ..." ("How America became a superpower," Vox, YouTube, 2016).


From this position of global authority, the United States would come to see itself as the benevolent helper of other nations, a kind benefactor in the rest of the world's post-war economic and social struggles. And it was; post World War II, the United States invested the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $182 billion in today's dollars in aid to 16 struggling Western European countries. The U.S.'s involvement and aid in late-1940s Japan was also hugely significant—it gave the equivalent of $18 billion to help Japan rebuild after the catastrophic effects of the world war. This assistance was certainly backed by much strategic convenience, but large acts of international benevolence are almost always supported by multiple motives. The point here is that America, for the most part in the international community, at least somewhat matched the esteem it had of itself. The United States started to see itself as the model for nations aspiring towards freedom, success, and power. But even as the postwar U.S. basked in its freedom and virtue, the pristine image of the "shining city on the hill" was tarnished by hidden poverty, racism, and increasing inequality.


exceptionalism in the later 20th century: capitalism front and centre

As the power boost of the world wars faded into the distance, the U.S. continued to enjoy the effects of economic and diplomatic institutions it had helped create. The United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, and others helped many nations, which often resulted in even bigger benefits to America. The Cold War then forced the United States to assume a more polarized view of itself—especially its economic policies. Officials interrogated anyone they suspected of loyalty to the USSR, and commie became a common insult. The U.S. reinforced its capitalist system as the most just and free (the Soviet Union was communist). The existence of a clear opposite power was cause for a strong opinion of America as superior, with a capital S. In the Cold War, there was an emphasis on American capitalism that hasn't been there before. This emphasis paved the way for the culture of megacorporations and the laissez-faire capitalism that represent America today.


what's happening today?

In the 21st century, things are changing, fast. China is growing as a global superpower, Trump has upended American politics, and covid-19 has disrupted the order of the world. Megacorporations are an outsized influence on American lawmaking. The country is divided into two parties who don't seem to be able to agree. Perhaps most importantly, America's dark history of slavery, segregation, internment camps, and other forms of systemic racism, as well as its current reality of mass incarceration, torture, and the politicization of science, are being exposed. While American exceptionalism spans the political spectrum, the people who voted for for Trump and his campaign slogan, Make America Great Again, seem to be popularizing a new, more extreme form of exceptionalism. While power shifts in the international community, America is in denial. But it is also doing something worse: it is turning inwards. Trump has dropped out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Paris climate agreement, the Iran nuclear deal, and many other vital organizations of international cooperation. He's also made it clear he'd have no objection to severing ties with the World Health Organization in a time when covid-19 has killed almost 140,000 Americans, well over double the amount of American casualties in the Vietnam War. In a thought-provoking article by The Atlantic, Trump's tactics are described as "predatory unilateralism". American exceptionalism, largely the product of an overwhelming success, might well be the cause of the nation's international humiliation, and even ruin.

Especially if you come from a white middle-or-upper-class family in the U.S., it's likely that the concept of American exceptionalism has been an underlying feature of your life. As Americans, we are taught in school that the U.S. is a country where, if you work hard enough, you will succeed. We are also taught that slavery and racial discrimination ended hundreds of years and decades ago, respectively. We are taught that America is—and always will be— the international example of freedom, and when we pledge allegiance to the flag, we speak of liberty and justice for all. But, as uncomfortable as it may be, it's worth questioning these statements that we've grown up taking for granted. We rank at 15th on the Human Freedom Index and 45th on the Press Freedom Index. America has got some work to do. It's time to stop pretending America is invincible, so we can start to make it free.


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image from IDR Institute's "President Trump and the Irony of American Exceptionalism" (https://www.idrinstitute.org/2016/11/10/president-trump-irony-american-exceptionalism/)

 
 
 

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