Kayla Proctor
2/21/2017
American Foreign Policy
Does Obama Believe in American Exceptionalism?
In order to know if Obama believed in American Exceptionalism, we must first understand what American Exceptionalism means. It is defined as the United States being inherently different from other nations, while having a mission to change the world, and that this mission makes Americans inherently superior over other nations.
In order to become President of the United States, it is an unspoken rule for the person to believe in the idea that America is a great country, and that America can do a lot to change the world, just like every world leader would believe of their own country. President Obama has been quoted saying “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism. I am enormously proud of my country and its role and history in the world.” Believing in American Exceptionalism does not mean, however, excluding the fact that America has faults, and that they need to be fixed in order to keep America special. President Obama’s entire campaign was about change for America, and making it even more exceptional than it already was. He was creating jobs and making lives better for the American people while simultaneously showing the world that America, the “perfect” country was not actually perfect and that it needed some work.
President Obama, while believing in American Exceptionalism, believed that it was more than just “chest-bumping and cheerleading.” He showed that what makes America so great and different from other countries is the differences that each individual brings to unify the country, and these differences need to be celebrated. We as Americans are more than just the slogan “Make America Great Again.” We are already great because of the differences we have, and President Obama used his campaign of change to make sure that these differences were celebrated instead of hidden away.
Works Cited:
"Yes, Obama does believe in American Exceptionalism" NY Daily News. 10 October 2012. http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/yes-obama-american-exceptionalism-article-1.1179394
Great job, Kayla! I liked the quotes that you used of his. However, I would have liked more evidence as to how Obama really feels about the idea of American Exceptionalism as it is understood by most. Where do you think he stands on the idea of American Exceptionalism domestically?
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