Heritage in Focus: Matt Spalding on American Exceptionalism

Hannah Sternberg / October 08, 2010

At an event in Florida last week, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Marco Rubio told a crowd:

This race is not your traditional race. It is a referendum on our identity. This race forces us to answer a very simple question: Do we want our country to continue to be exceptional, or are we prepared for it to become just like everybody else?

The debate on American exceptionalism has garnered widespread attention this season. It has been a Tea Party rallying cry and an object of liberals’ sneers. But what is American exceptionalism? (more…)