Abstract
A term American exceptionalism usually describes the belief that Americans are an extraordinary nation with a special role to play in human history. A nation that is not only different or unique but also superior.
The belief in exceptionalism has been central to the formation of American national identity and is frequently used to describe the development of American cultural identity from Puritan origins through the American revolution and establishment of the United States as a republic to the present. A notion of distinctiveness was a significant component in intellectual construct of America from the beginning.
That's the main reason why American exceptionalism presents productive and useful instrument for understanding the United States, American historic experience or evolution of American national identity. But it is important to say that American exceptionalism is definetely far less obvious idea than most suppose.
The theme has been argued in diverse ways for a long time, so the discussion has been a little bit confused. This essay is trying to introduce the most important conceptions of American exceptionalism and put them into the context.