“The New World” set itself apart from the very beginning. “We shall be a city upon a hill – the eyes of all people are upon us,” said John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The year was 1630. In due course, the message was adopted by the new American state as “the shining city on a hill,” a beacon of hope, freedom, and moral integrity and a shining example for others to follow. This exceptionalism has been a distinguishing part of the American self-image up to our time (Wertheim 2017). Generally understood, exceptionalism means that an individual, a society, an institution, or a movement is unusual or extraordinary, different from others. America was different. Especially after World War II, when the USA emerged as the largest and strongest nation by far, it was obvious for everybody to see. The new international order was unthinkable without American leadership. The USA was the indispensable one. But American exceptionalism goes deeper than that. The USA is exceptional for what it is, not for the missions it undertakes. It is the constitution, the institutions, the values and the ideals that make up the essence of the exceptionalist mindset. This is what has set the country apart – in its own eyes. The fundamental narrative is philosophical, not political. It has survived the test of time, while the politics that spring from it have changed over the years (Restad). Läs artikel