Comments on: City Upon a Hill: American Exceptionalism

By: Nigel Dawson

Nigel Dawson — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:25:28 +0000

It is worth noting that during the Australian gold-rush years of the 1850s that the American press was using the same sort of language that one of the historians uses to define American Exceptionalism (at the 43min mark) about Australia. For these mid-eighteenth century authors it seems that exceptionalism has more to do with Anglo-Saxon exceptionalism mixed with the promise of a bountiful land than the purely nationalistic idea that it is today.

By: Best of Times: BackStory Year in Review | BackStory with the American History Guys

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 20:37:48 +0000

[...] City Upon a Hill: American Exceptionalism [...]

By: The Secret Origin of American Exceptionalism | Glimbit

The Secret Origin of American Exceptionalism | Glimbit — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 11:44:56 +0000

[...] and informed by a recent episode of BackStory with the American History Guys, a radio show and podcast from [...]

By: Lucas Pickett

Lucas Pickett — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:51:18 +0000

Currently, I think that the United States of America is as exceptional as any other country, in that certain combinations of cultures and ideas and land have come together to make a unique mix not found anywhere else in the world. Just as one cannot perfectly replicate Russia or Japan or Zimbabwe or Fiji without their particular mixtures of demography and geography, one cannot perfectly replicate the United States. That makes the country exceptional, but that does not make it any better than any other country on this globe. That does not mean we are the worst country in the world, just not the best. I think of this country like a high school student that graduates in the top 15% of one’s class: definitely not the best student (if judged by GPA), but one of the better ones. I would definitely not trade my life here for one in North Korea or Sierra Leone or Saudi Arabia, but who am I to know that this is the greatest piece of real estate on planet Earth when I have spent less than ten days at a time in any other sovereign state?

By: chiros13

chiros13 — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 01:36:36 +0000

One thing I wanted answered, but didn’t get answered–was Obama right? Or is American Exceptionalism uniquely American? Do Brits believe in British Exceptionalism?

By: Estoy Listo

Estoy Listo — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 01:52:07 +0000

Caller “Dean” makes lovely and elegant observations about the uniqueness of America, notably that America is perhaps the only (or one of the few) where anyone from another country can emigrate and become a true American. In other countries–France, say–it’s not quite the same. Another observation–that America is unique in the way it fosters social evolution. We’re not perfect, but we have the cultural base for change.

Disappointing that Brian couldn’t accept the comments without countering (predictably) about America’s many flaws. He might want to listen to Dean’s comments again. I think he missed an important point.

It’s too bad that callers can’t make honest and heart-felt comments without being corrected. I doubt that Dean will call back. I wouldn’t.

By: City Upon a Hill: Music | BackStory with the American History Guys

City Upon a Hill: Music | BackStory with the American History Guys — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 21:21:17 +0000

[...] This is a list of the music used in the BackStory episode “City Upon a Hill: American Exceptionalism” broadcast in July of 2012. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]

By: City Upon a Hill: Show Segments | BackStory with the American History Guys

City Upon a Hill: Show Segments | BackStory with the American History Guys — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 17:15:41 +0000

[...] The following are individual show segments included in the BackStory episode “City Upon a Hill” broadcast in July of 2012. You can listen to the entire episode here. [...]

By: Bonnie Tingle

Bonnie Tingle — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 23:20:41 +0000

Apparently American exceptionalism does exist. I spent the last hour hearing about it so it must be real. I was listening intently awaiting to hear some reference to John O’Sullivan’s introduction of the term Manifest Destiny. This was fuel for the fire of expansion that culminated in the Mexican-American War and the Gadsden Purchase. The term, however, lingered (lingers) on. In that same train of thought, look how WE have usurped the use of the word, American, to the exclusion of Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. I have frequently wondered if any of this is of interest to anyone outside the United States. Thanks, Bonnie Tingle

By: Daniel Bennett

Daniel Bennett — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 11:24:51 +0000

I was surprised that you started with the controversy regarding Obama without examining the use of true and untrue attacks on political opponents based on litmus tests. Although it was interesting to hear about the evolution of the term American Exceptionalism, the current controversy is almost nothing about the meaning of the term. It’s only use is as a bludgeon to hurt political opponents without actually talking about policy or actual loyalty to the country. The only extent of the meaning “American Exceptionalism” rises currently is whether its use as an unethical political device makes our country unique (unethical, because it is illogical to say the President is less than a full American and that our country is exceptional, the critique itself undoes the assertion).

In that this form of political device helps to divert the conversation among those who should know better into a discussion of the truth of the usage or the definition of the term. Which is not to say perhaps in quieter times, we can discuss them legitimately. But to have a discussion without uncovering the use of the term as a political device as propaganda is to allow the damage to continue.

I hope you can follow up on the historical use in this country and others of the use of false litmus tests to disparage and isolate political opponents. From Samuel Adams dismissing the deathbed words of a victim in the Boston Massacre as being a papist, to the legal and cultural structures to create chattel slavery, to the McCarthy era. We are now in the middle of a decade that still includes a similar use of techniques to play on the fears and hatreds that are used to divide a nation or community.

And put to rest the temptation to think that the current use of American Exceptionalism means anything more or is bound to past use as more then a focus group tested term that proved to move votes and minds.

By: chris moffatt

chris moffatt — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 19:34:32 +0000

As a canadian resident in Virginia for some 30 years I see that the US is exceptional in only a couple of areas: Americans are exceptionally violent and aggressive in foreign policy and americans are exceptional in their ability to believe their own mythology. Other than that, as the previous comment points out, the US is far from the best it can be (and far from the best in the world).

PS: I forgot to include americans are exceptionally ignorant for a supposedly first-world nation.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 15:09:04 +0000

I’d be a lot less disturbed by the idea of “American Exceptionalism” if the notion of exposure to the view and views of others were more prevalent. it seems too many people have taken the phrase to imply that America is already the best it can be (despite health and wealth statistics that say otherwise), that Americans don’t have to worry about any scrutiny from others (diplomacy and courtesy be damned), and that critical self-examination is intrinsically unpatriotic if not treasonous. Reality and the forces of history will not care how firmly we hold to such beliefs; if they prove to be unsupportable, they, and we, will fall.