History class
American exceptionalism American exceptionalism is the phrase that describes that after the constitution was made, Americans and foreigners both saw America was exceptional. It was a new nation made and established like any other. In Charles Murray’s book, American exceptionalism, he explains what has made America different than other nations and since and also what has changed since its beginning. In Charles Murray’s book, he is talking about just how America was made and seen as exceptional. He grouped his ideas into four main categories: America as a geographic setting, American ideology, traits of the American people, and operation of the American political system. When America was made the settlers here already had the qualities that were needed to make America exceptional. These qualities: honesty, industriousness, religiosity, and mortality, were induced by the settings, and hardships they had faced in America. The founders believed that all human had human rights, included in the constitution, and were optimistic about their potential. But they were also aware that its human nature to misbehave in the political area. Power is a very controlling force. James Madison wrote: “when framing a government administered by men over men, the greatest difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Because of this, the founders sought to create a government that would let the people have their rights and freedom, yet also restrict power where needed. Murray also grouped the traits of the American people into four categories: Industriousness, egalitarianism, religiosity, and community life. And in America’s political system Murray mentioned that American never created a worker’s party, which was different then Europe and created greater resistance against class warfare.
After all this however, Charles Murray goes back and describes just how each of these qualities of the American people have since then failed. He mentions slavery and Indians as an example of the fact that the people contradicted themselves by saying all people have human rights. After a while, the founders slowly began to dismiss their want for limited government and individualism. Americans also became obsessed with money, power, and possessions. Murray is saying these obsessions are what show in the American culture, not the virtues the founders had hoped for. Material inequality is greater in America then Europe. Murray says this was evidence of American moral backwardness. People began using religion as a force for reactionary policies and not a force for good. Last of all community life was thought to be suffocating. Charity was not something that had many participants and poverty and human sufferings were widespread.
I think that how American
