America is an exceptional nation.  In world history, there’s no nation that was founded in the way in which America was.  America is an idea.  This nation originated on the ideas of individual responsibility, civil liberties, equality, limited government, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, the respect of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, a strong determination to always defend America against enemies foreign and domestic, and etc.  Unfortunately, there are far too many people, mainly in the Democratic Party, who want Americans to apologize for how exceptional America is.  The purpose of this piece is to offer an understanding of American exceptionalism and defend the support of American exceptionalism.

Those who support American exceptionalism contend that America was founded on a set of republican (“rule by the people and law”) ideals and not on a common heritage, ethnicity, and etc.  Because of the unique nature of America’s founding and its position in the world, America has a responsibility to empower other nations in the world to enjoy the benefits of freedom and the revolutionary spirit freedom engenders.  When people of countries across the world are trapped in dictatorial and tyrannical regimes, and they express a desire to seek solutions to these regimes, America’s uniqueness as the only superpower mandates that she helps those people find the solutions they need to gain the freedom they deserve.  The concept of American exceptionalism asserts that humankind’s rights come from God and not from the state or government.  The most innate right American exceptionalism argues is essential is the right of all human beings to be free.

America is in a position to aid those across the world to obtain the freedom they deserve to have that has been guaranteed by God.  Americans love their freedom.  They love the benefits and opportunities liberty enables them to enjoy.  Without question, America is an exceptional nation in terms of its founding, military, economy, education, and much more.

I have become troubled with how many in the Democratic Party do not want to acknowledge that America is an exceptional nation and the responsibilities and opportunities that accompany this reality.  American exceptionalism is not a malevolent concept—it’s reality.  Although some proponents of American exceptionalism concatenate it with the concept of Manifest Destiny, the majority of the proponents do not fuse this concept with American exceptionalism.  Based on some of the misinformation I have heard and read from Democrats about American exceptionalism, I thought it was important to draft a piece that would begin to counter the misinformation about American exceptionalism.

Let’s never deny that America is an exceptional nation!

Antonio Maurice Daniels

University of Wisconsin-Madison