Remember This: America is Exceptional

As somebody born in 1950, a debate as to whether or not the term “American exceptionalism” is justified is a somewhat recent phenomenon.  Barrack Obama proclaimed in July of 2016 that “I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my existence.”  As recently as February of 2022, President Obama described the country as “imperfect but exceptional.” 

Yet, polling data shows a generational divide in who agrees and who disagrees with this label for our country.  In 2019, the Pew Institute data indicated that 75.2 percent of those over the age of 60 agreed that America was exceptional.  Not so much for those 18-29.  Only 45.1 percent thought the same.  Less than half.  Anyone who wants to bet the data has improved in recent years, contact me to make a bet.

This did not just happen.  The relentless attack on our history, culture, and traditions coming from the mainstream media (MSM), the world of entertainment, and academia produces predictable outcomes.  One of them is our young people have never been taught to even consider our nation is, as President Obama said, imperfect but exceptional.  Instead, please go find a current American history textbook used in our schools at every level, students are reminded of virtually every negative element that has been our history.

Is it true that the expansion westward involved terrible injustices for Native Americans?  Yes, it is.  Is it true that slavery was an awful, evil institution?  Yes, it is.  You can add to race relations that racism exists to this day.  Was denying women the right to vote wrong?  Yes, it was.  

Still yet, I proudly say America was and is exceptional.  How is that possible?  Well, better late than never.  The circumstances surrounding Native Americans still deserve more attention than it gets.  However, things are better today than 50 years ago.  Slavery was defeated.  The 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Amendments were put into the Constitution following the Civil War.  Unfortunately, to be fair and accurate, both in law and in practice, equality was practiced in the breach. 

After too many decades, civil rights legislation was passed by the same group—overwhelmingly white men—to dramatically improve things.  Ask an African American of my generation if he or she thinks they have more freedom and opportunity now than in 1956.  Yelling, “things are worse now than ever,” is otherwise known as bovine excrement.

For women’s suffrage, Congress passed and ratified the 19^th Amendment, giving women the right to vote in 1919 (the 19^th Amendment).  The necessary three-quarters of the states ratified it by 1920.  These states were governed nearly exclusively by white men.  If a new Constitutional Amendment were passed by Congress today, that would mean 38 states.   Can you tell me any important issue today that could amass three-quarters support?

All of the above is addressing some of that imperfection President Obama mentioned.  What if students were taught today more about the “good stuff?”  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others associated with our early history deserve more than to be defined by the reality they owned slaves.  Abraham Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Ronald Reagan influenced history in positive and important ways.  Saying otherwise, for me, is just more of that bovine excrement.  If you have them, ask your high school senior about Thomas Payne, Henry Clay, or John Nance Garner.  See how many they have even heard of.  

There is no way these young people can consider anything but an overwhelmingly negative view of the nation.  They have been taught little to nothing else.  Later, we can talk about a nation that fought two world wars on foreign territory, won, and took no land, save for the ground where our brave soldiers were buried.  Or maybe Alexander Graham Bell, Cyrus McCormick, or hundreds of others.  

It has been said many times.  Students are not being taught how to critically think.  They are being told what to think.  And, what they are told to think is that we have no reason to think our nation is exceptional.  Okay, let’s have a discussion, one where all the facts are introduced into the conversation.

My late father said it best.  “American democracy is the worst form of government on earth, save for every other form of government.”  We will continue to discuss our history, warts and all.  When it is all said and done, I think all but those with a particular political agenda will agree that America is exceptional.  What do you think?