Is America Exceptional?--Part 1

As a matter of introducing this topic, let me just state that I am astonished, given the tone of recent political discourse, one has to expend intellectual energy in establishing the fact that the United States is, indeed, an Exceptional Nation. It is not an exercise in jingoism to believe in the exceptional nature of America, because virtually all the defining characteristics about America can accurately be described as exceptional. However, powerful forces inside and outside of America have produced a great deal of rhetoric to diminish America's legacy and current standing in the world. I intend to catalog in great detail over several posts that the United States of America is manifestly an exceptional nation. Indeed, the experience of America describes the term--The Exceptional Nation. This post deals with America's exceptional birth, later posts will speak of the Constitution and American History and will respond to some of the most prevalent critiques of Americans and their activities throughout its history.