Is America Truly 'Exceptional'?

Seymour Martin Lipset’s essay has tangible examples of why America is ‘exceptional’, while Ian Tyrell’s essay lacks the concrete comparisons needed to make a good argument. Lipset is compelling when he states that America is unique today when compared to other first world nations in the sense that it has more crime, more lawyers and lower voter turnout. He does not mention the high abortion rates and the fact that the U.S. has the highest paid sports/television/film celebrities in the world, suggesting that our values have shifted in the 20th century. It is easily argued that America is indeed different, and sadly has journeyed far from the ‘ideal moral society’ it once set out to be during the creation of Massachusetts.

Lipset also discusses the notion that American business leaders emphasize individuality rather than conformity. It is commonly perceived that America has a ‘dog eat dog’ attitude towards business and even the general welfare of its citizens. In most first world societies, including the United States, citizens have the right to pursue success in business and other aspects of life. They key difference is that, in other nations, if the individual fails to succeed monetarily, they will still have access to general welfare needs such as healthcare, housing and food. Since provisions for general welfare are not necessarily guaranteed by the American government it could be argued that the drive to succeed is greater in the U.S., or, at the very least, the stakes are higher. It is possible that, out of necessity of welfare, there is a core value difference between Americans and other nations. This theory would certainly explain why, as Lipset states, the United States has a greater number of people seeking education beyond high school. The tremendous wealth, innovation and trade leadership of the United States may be directly or indirectly linked to this individualist ideology.

Ian Tyrell, in his essay from “American Exceptionalism in an age of International History,” American Historical Review, explains that America’s history is more similar to other nations than many historians believe. He argues not only that all national histories are unique, but many of the written materials historians have come to base their research upon are biased towards the idea of American uniqueness. Tyrell’s essay might lead one to believe the idea

Some topics in this essay:
United Kingdom, Historical Review, Europe Founding, Ian Tyrell’s, England France, Tyrell Americans, Revolutionary War, , Founding Fathers, Uncle Sam, america unique, american exceptionalism, seymour martin, revolutionary war, idea american, tyrell essay “american, international history”, history” american, historical review, american society, george bush, ian tyrell essay, seymour martin lipset’s, “american exceptionalism age, exceptionalism age international,