American Exceptionalism "refers to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty". (wordpress.com) We see the effects and results of this philosophy in several ways in our government. For example, just the other night during President Obama's State of the Union Address, he went to great lengths to emphasize the powerfulness and control that the United States has in the world. This is true in a lot of cases, and American's are not the only one's who have adopted the idea that the United States can "do no wrong". (American Government 8th Edition, pg. 3) Many powers around the world also believe that America is one of the leading countries during our time. However, this can prove to have both benefits and also problems.
I think, that because of the fact that many people, and not just the citizens of the U.S., believe in American Exceptionalism, it can be a problem when things are not carried out in a leadership fashion. There are instances in recent history where we have not lived up to this idea of our supreme impact on the world. This is a recent and small example , but during the unity rally in Paris, France, just last year where many world leaders marched arm in arm down city streets, our highest …show more content…
For one, because many countries believe that we are one of the great world powers, we are very respected and looked up to in times of trouble. I would even go as far as saying that we are feared. We are known for our (usual) willingness to help as well as defend. We can point out quite a few recent examples of this in the War in Iraq and the War on Terror, where the United States took a great initiative in leading a fight against terrorism in the Middle East. We may have not done everything right throughout the course of the war, but we did at least stand up and show up, and we accomplished many good
I think, that because of the fact that many people, and not just the citizens of the U.S., believe in American Exceptionalism, it can be a problem when things are not carried out in a leadership fashion. There are instances in recent history where we have not lived up to this idea of our supreme impact on the world. This is a recent and small example , but during the unity rally in Paris, France, just last year where many world leaders marched arm in arm down city streets, our highest …show more content…
For one, because many countries believe that we are one of the great world powers, we are very respected and looked up to in times of trouble. I would even go as far as saying that we are feared. We are known for our (usual) willingness to help as well as defend. We can point out quite a few recent examples of this in the War in Iraq and the War on Terror, where the United States took a great initiative in leading a fight against terrorism in the Middle East. We may have not done everything right throughout the course of the war, but we did at least stand up and show up, and we accomplished many good