[via PROSEBEFOREHOS] WIKIPEDIA: American exceptionalism is the theory that the United States occupies a special niche among the nations of the world in terms of its national credo, historical evolution, political and religious institutions and unique origins. The roots of the belief are attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, who claimed that the then-50-year-old United States held a special place among nations, because it was a country of immigrants and the first modern democracy. The theory of American exceptionalism has a number of opponents, especially from the Left, who argue that the belief is “self-serving and jingoistic” (see slavery, civil rights […]