Famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great” (qtd. in Carson 651). In “Recovering America’s Exceptionalism,” Dr. Ben S. Carson explains that our Judeo-Christian roots and values are what set America apart from all other countries. These values include decency, honesty, compassion, and fairness. He explains that in order to achieve greatness, the American people will have to embrace these values when making decisions about our future. There are many ways in which America is superior to other countries, but I would agree with Dr. Carson that the success of our government and people is reliant upon the everyday use of these key values.
American exceptionalism is the idea that the United States is somehow superior to any other country. In his essay, Dr. Carson mentions that our public education, government structure, and separation of powers are unsurpassed by any other country. While government structure is important, the values that Carson lists are the very foundation of the American way. To maintain our freedom, we must respect each other’s rights. …show more content…
If all humans were perfect, there would be no violence and everyone would be happy with what they have, regardless of how little that may be. There must be some form of government to establish right from wrong and hold people accountable for their actions. Representative Democracy is different from other government systems because our power is vested in our people in a country where "all men were created equal." In other countries, your success is based mostly upon which family you are born into. If you are not born into a royal family, you will likely never have a say in what laws you must follow regardless of how educated or hard working you