American Exceptionalism

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The book An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, written by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, recounts the experiences of indigenous peoples, from their first contact with the Europeans, to modern day struggles for self-determination. In stark contrast with the history outlined by the book, the narrative of United States which permeates American consciousness, often referred to as the “origin myth” by Ortiz, reduces natives to passive elements, only mentioning them in passing during specific periods of history. Ortiz actively rejects such a narrative and the idea that the indigenous peoples of the United States have played a passive and minor role in North American history. Rather, she gives a detailed account of the indigenous struggle for …show more content…
In particular, with these continuities, one is better equipped to scrutinize the idea of Manifest Destiny. According to Robert Kaplan, it was not “inevitable that the United States should have an empire in the western part of the continent” (220), and was instead brought about by frontiersmen. This argument against Manifest Destiny is consistent with the continuities that have been observed thus far; in fact, such continuities demonstrate how, beyond the surface, the United States is no different from its imperialist European predecessors, contradicting the claims of there being a special place for the United States in the world. However, at the same time, historical context also provides a precursor to Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism. In particular, one could view these ideas as being offshoots of the idea of limpieza de sangre from the Crusades, morphed over the years to invoke “freedom” and “liberty” rather than blood, race or religion to appeal to a larger part of society while accounting for the changing population. Finally, one could also consider how manifest destiny serves to obscure such continuities, contributing to the misinformation prevalent in American society today. Ortiz hints at this in the introduction, noting how when she asked her students to draw an outline of the United States when it had gained independence, most would draw the outline of the current outline (2). This is understandable from a historical point of view – Manifest Destiny, with its insistence on a prophecy of expansion reserved for the United States only, serves to marginalize the role of Native Americans in shaping North American history. Since the history of conflict between the natives and settlers serves as an important thread that ties together periods of history that are vastly different at first glance as earlier
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