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American exceptionalism is the belief that the U.S. is distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other nations. It originates from the observations of Alexis de Tocqueville and the American Revolution, and has various explanations and criticisms.
The Cornerstone Speech, also known as the Cornerstone Address, was an oration given by Alexander H. Stephens, acting Vice President of the Confederate States of America, at the Athenaeum in Savannah, Georgia, on March 21, 1861.
Learn how Southern politicians and intellectuals defended slavery as a benevolent, paternalistic, and divine institution before the Civil War. See how they argued that slavery was economically beneficial, socially necessary, and morally justified.
America conceives of itself as a moral nation. Therefore, policies that are perceived as immoral or amoral are not likely to be sustainable. Realists understand that the moral imperative is always a part of America's self-conception of national interest.
Moral sparring in today’s America pits groups against one another in what New York Times columnist David Brooks calls “primordial sources of meaning that are deeper than individual preference ...
Two psychologists argue that the perception of moral decline is an illusion based on selective memory and attention. They cite surveys that show no evidence of a decrease in moral values among Americans over the past decades.
This article examines the rise of moralistic politics in the United States, which disdains compromise and prudence and seeks to impose a single moral vision on society. It contrasts moralism with morality and argues that moralism is prone to stalemate and failure in governing.
