American Exceptionalism

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American Exceptionalism

American Exceptionalism, as a widely embraced concept in the United States, strives to

be a demonstration of the uniqueness that people and the country possesses. Understanding

American Exceptionalism inculcates comparing the exclusive aspects within the United States

with how they perform in other countries. It is through the global perspective that one is able to

judge and to conclude of US being a country that defies the odds and has become successful and

stood out from the other countries. It is vital to look into the specific paths that the country has

taken towards achieving its unique global status that other countries envy. It also involves

assessing the uniqueness of the country in the history of the world. According to Cameron (96),

the American Exceptionalism may be judged by the country’s orphic ability to adapt, evolve and

revise hence making the country exceptional. Being able to define the value of American

Exceptionalism lies within the erudite assessment of performance and carefully viewing the

status of the country economically, socially and politically. Narrowing down to economic, social

and political aspects makes the research on American Exceptionalism to be more exact and

definite rather than providing facts generally. In politics, it emerges necessary to look at the two

party systems utilized, and how it manifests itself to be more efficient than other party systems in

countries around the world. Socially, the democracy of the people, human rights and the ability

to live freely are issues of great essence to the country’s exceptionality. It is also imperative to

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evaluate the economical situations in the United States, and look into how the country has been

able to walk through the challenges. The United States being a unique country, this paper strives

to lay out the facts revolving around the country that render it to be exceptional.

The idea of politics of America standing out mainly revolves around the party system that

it exercises as well as it efficiency. In spite of differing opinions of scholars, the two-party

system exercised in America is a brilliant choice for the political system in the country (Jones

474). Other countries might have struggled to adopt the system with little success. Conversely,

the two-party system continues to flourish in America, which makes one of the unique political

identities known around the world. Not only is the two-party system famous in the United States

for its implementation over the years, but also because of its efficacy. The country can boast of

the efficiency in the political system, as it is an easier platform for decision making that happens

under control as well. Less people are involved when it comes to agreeing upon policies that

determine the well-being. As the two-party system consists of the republicans and the democrats,

when the people elect a candidate from either of the two parties, that party automatically

becomes the ruling party while the other takes the position of being the opposition (Kalandrakis

and Spirling 414). Therefore, having two parties whose interests are well defined makes it easy

to decide on matters rather than dealing with a huge multitude of parties, which might hinder the

effectiveness of the political system. According to Jones (473), the two parties cater for the

interests of majority of the citizens, with each party having different viewpoints on various

issues. The citizens hence have a clear picture of what to expect by voting in either of the parties

through their candidates. The system makes the country to be efficient in decision-making that is

exceptional when compared to that of other countries around the world.

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Democracy in the United States intertwines with the liberal tradition in the country.

Liberal tradition of the United States sets it apart from other countries in the world. According to

Packenham (18), Americans stand to be at an advantage for reaching a state of democracy

whereby they believe that they are born equal instead of conforming to the idea that they become

so afterwards. The liberal premises are best appropriate when put under utility in the United

States as other countries, especially third world countries do not respond well to it. However, this

has not hindered the efforts of the United States in dedicating herself to extend the liberal

ideology to the rest of the world. Liberalism in the United States is far much different from that

around the world. In connection to the country’s liberal tradition, the US government makes

protection of human rights to be one of its top primary concerns. Human rights are highly upheld

even when it involves controversial issues such as same sex marriage that not all people may be

in support of (Blau 11). The United States is very keen on equality under the law, whereby the

law does not bias even in terms of status of any citizens (Kugler, et al. 1076). The law subjects

each person in the same way under the law, which further enhances ideals of equality in

America. Moreover, the government through liberalism seeks to endorse the welfare of its people

by ascertaining that all people gain access to proper national services such as health services.

The economic freedom and economic status of America is another major aspect of the

country that garners quite a significant amount of attention globally. Albeit having some

countries that rank higher than the United States in economic freedom, it is still quite ahead of

the rest of the world due to the economic freedom it exercises with its people. As economic

freedom is positively related to political freedom that the country is steadfast in, the result is a

robust economy that changes the face of the country in the world (Weber). According to Cebula,

Hall, Mixon and Payne (45), economic freedom has a huge and positive impact on the well-being

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of the people due to their ability to earn, keep as well as spend as they choose. The economy of

the country goes the limit to make it one of the best economies around the world and one that is

highly envied.

The paper clearly brings out the different aspects that prove American Exceptionalism

and provides insight on how each of those aspects makes the country to be exceptional. It is clear

that the economic status of the country is a great contributor of the uniqueness that the United

States exhibits. In addition, the country is different in how it exercises liberal tradition and

democracy as well as through its efficacy. Eventually, the fact that the US has practiced the two-

party system effectively over the years displays the country as exceptional and influential around

the world.

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Work cited

Blau, Judith. "Human Rights in the United States: Beyond Exceptionalism. Shareen Hertel &

Kathryn Libal,(Eds). Reviewed by Judith Blau." The Journal of Sociology & Social

Welfare 39.3 (2015): 11.

Cameron, John. Narrative is the Essence of History. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing,

2012. Print.

Cebula, Richard , C. Hall, Franklin Mixon Jr. and James Payne. Economic Behavior, Economic

Freedom, and Entrepreneurship. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015. Print.

Jones, David R. A More Responsible Two-Party System? Accountability for Majority and

Minority Party Performance in a Polarized Congress. Palgrave Macmillan, 2014(46.3):

470-492.

Kalandrakis, Tasos & Arthur Spirling. Radical Moderation: Recapturing Power in Two-Party

Parliamentary Systems. Midwest Political Science Association, 2012(68): 413-432.

Kugler, Matthew B., et al. "Differences in punitiveness across three cultures: A test of American

exceptionalism in justice attitudes." Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 103.4

(2013).

Packenham, Robert. Liberal America and the Third World: Political Development Ideas in

Foreign Aid and Social Science. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015. Print.

Weber, Cameron M. Dissertation Concerning a Political Economy of Art With Emphasis on the

United States of America. Diss. THE NEW SCHOOL, 2015. Print.

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