Is the United States exceptional?

This position holds that the United States is not exceptional. It argues that American exceptionalism is a national myth, inconsistent with the reality of world history, and that American history is best understood within a global context rather than as a unique story standing apart.

This position holds that the United States is exceptional. It argues that America's particular history of revolution, expansion and development has produced a distinct national character — one visitors and observers consistently recognise — that genuinely sets it apart from other nations.

America is exceptional for the wrong reasons. It has a history of brutality against other peoples, a record of fighting many wars wherein scores of civilians were killed, and it refuses to sign most human rights treaties. It is exceptional from these mistakes, not its successes.