Theory - C3. National beliefs and values

●      What does the phrase “a city upon the hill” refer to?

It is a phrase spoken from Jesus' sermon on the Mount. The Puritans used this phrase as a goal in which to strive for. They wanted their colony to be a beacon of hope that hopefully one day others would imitate.

●      What is the American Dream?

It is the national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals including representative democracy, rights, liberty, and equality, in which freedom is interpreted as

• the opportunity for individual prosperity and success,

• upward social mobility for oneself and their children,

• achieved through hard work in a capitalist society with few barriers.

What is American exceptionalism?

-       It’s one of the three related ideas:

First: The U.S. history is inherently different from other nations

Second: The U.S. has a mission to transform the world,

Third: The U.S’ history and mission gives it superiority over other nations.

Explain the point “The U.S. history is inherently different from other nations.”

American exceptionalism stems from the American Revolution, becoming “the first new nation” (Seymour Martin) and developing ideology of “Americanism”, based on liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, republicanism, democracy and laissez-faire economics

The U.S. has a mission to transform the world

Americans have a duty to ensure that “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth (A. Lincoln, 1863)”.