American Exceptionalism Analysis

In 2009, at a press conference in northern France, President Barrack Obama responded to a question concerning American exceptionalism replying, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism”, neglecting to mention the historical aspect of this question. He later elaborated in his response, which eliminated the majority of the criticism surrounding his statement; however some continued to persist with their criticism, objecting to his comparison between America’s exceptionalism and others countries. Among the members of the public who disapproved of the former president’s statement was Charles Murray, author of American Exceptionalism.
The founding father designed a government that was both inclusive yet guarded, to protect Americas from their and fellow Americans own greed. Furthermore, the founding fathers believed in democracy, which is where our right to vote originates form, but also in human selfishness and greed, which is what produced our elected officials, checks and balances, and is what makes America a democratic republic as opposed to a pure democracy. The founding fathers resented the King and high authority so they endowed each American with inalienable rights such as the right to bear arms. Unlike Europe, American never had a serious class divide such as surfs and peasants fighting kings and nobles for basic freedoms and rights. The United States was almost entirely comprised of immigrants who came to American, seeking a better life than the former life they had in Europe. As a result, citizens worked for everything, never relying upon on or using one another to obtain what the desired like the nobles of Medieval Europe. The lack of a national religion allowed people to worship whomever the desired, kept people from feeling repressed, and prevented a powerful government centered upon religion that would infringe upon the rights of the
America is still an exceptional nation because it has risen to become the most powerful nation in the world. In Murray’s book, he writes that America was not exceptional because it was a “great”, powerful nation, but rather because it was different than any other nations of the time. And today, I believe America is still unlike any other nation on earth. America is exceptional because it had become so powerful than it can actively project its influence throughout the world. In the late 1800s and early 1900s America practiced isolationism, as policy in which it avoided and ignored European and other countries wars and issues. However, after WWI the United Sates became a more active player on the global stage and after WWII, the United Sates and USSR emerged as the superpowers of the world, as Europe had been obliterated by the war. During this period of tense rivalry, known as the Cold War, the United Sates attempted to create democratic, capitalistic states while the USSR attempted to spread and created communistic states which resulted in several wars such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After the collapse of the USSR, the United Sates emerged as the sole superpower in the world with unmatched power and influence. As the United Sates had no direct rival it needed to attempt to contain after the USSR’s collapse, the USA began a mission to shape the world in the way that it saw