America Arce: Unique In Our Own Way

In the course of human events, nothing has been more captivating, awe-inspiring, and romanticized than the foundation of the United States. The idea of few colonies rebelling against the world’s most powerful Empire and country, successfully declaring independence from such country, and laying out the foundation for a system of government that the world had not yet seen has amazed the masses of future generations to this day. What is even more mystifying is the men behind the foundation of the United States; such men as Gen. George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and many more. These men have been elevated to an almost god like status, intellectuals who just knew how and what to

Ishmael read does an incredible job of pointing out all possible notions that the people who were here before us are,our cause of success. Reed discusses passionately for the ideas and social behaviors that arrived in the United States of America before and after the first wave of European settlers.

What sets America apart from any nation in the world is that it never settle. America, at times, has had the tenancy to spent too long in the darkness of satisfaction and despondency, but never has it settles in shadows. Every single time America has fallen or been knocked down, it has never failed to rise from defeat. It may take months, years and even decades, but America never stops pursuing the perfection of the unparalleled ideals it was founded on.

What was the destiny of America viewed by American Exceptionalis? All along as time has advanced, travelers have come here in great hopes to establish a great country, escape from persecution, to become rich, and many other ideas of the American dream, so to speak. After many years these ideas of what America should be has accomplished great achievements and perhaps combined the destinies of many exceptionalist. There are three separate ideas of destiny that I am going to discuss and how they combined to be what America is now.

When other nations jumped into WWI in 1914, America adopted a policy of neutrality. News of the horrors of the war convinced Americans that they had taken the right approach. Many could not believe that a civilized society could resort to such atrocities. Germany’s use of U-boats in unrestricted submarine warfare finally pushed the U.S. to declare war. President Wilson urged for peace based upon the idea of a League of Nations, where many nations would act as one to preserve the peace of all. Although WWI pitted country against country, it also galvanized America, ushering in an era of massive change. Wilson dictated that “Peace had to be a peace of reconciliation, a peace without victory, for a victor’s peace would leave a sting, a resentment, a bitter memory upon which terms of peace would rest, not permanently, but only upon quicksand” (Trueman). Peace came in 1918, although it was not a peace without victory, and a colossal shift in the way of life followed soon after (Trueman).

Since the moment you are created in the womb, you are being made with your own characteristics. Everyone is unique in their own way, but in some cases what makes them unique can be quite impressive. The moment a single cell takes an unexpected turn can lead to the formation of a special person. This was just the case for Randy Foye, Melanie Gaydos, and the DaSilva family.

What makes me unique? This is a question that many people may ask themselves over the years. Upon pondering upon it, I realized that a lot of us our the same, especially in a school setting. We wake up, eat breakfast, go to all of our classes and go home. Even extra curricular have an abundant amount of people attending. So what makes us unique? Looking around and thinking about students, nothing obvious stands out. So I started looking at commonalities. Most people love gossip, so rumors are always a hot topic in a highschool. Upon thinking about rumors, it really shows how much people are judged by these stigmas made by other people. What makes me different from other people is my ability to never believe rumors.

Many people can agree that America is exceptional and how America is different from other countries. America believed that they will be better and different from other countries. America has many expectations that aren't reached. America has impacted many things that have occurred in the past and has created a great image from America but, never the less America is not exceptional and has failed to resist the standard America has created for themselves and over time they have forgotten there what they have by going against it.

Politics was also central in American labor movements. In the book, The Making of American Exceptionalism: The Knights of Labor and Class Formation in the Nineteenth Century, author Kim Voss shows how and why a successful labor movement never gained political strength as it did in England and France. The United States had similarities with its labor movements with its European counterparts. However, it was mainly because of the failure by the Knights of Labor that caused the American labor movement to go a different route. Unlike Europe, where labor movements were often supported, the United States did not support these groups. It did not witness the rise of a powerfully large socialist party either. The Knights of Labor emerged as a labor organization that welcomed all

America’s identity was shaped a lot in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s;the writing of the Monroe Doctrine, the interest in foreign affairs, and the Great Depression are all huge factors in that, and America has adjusted greatly because of that. There were many other things, such as the overall 1920’s, that shaped America’s identity as well.

Being unique is being unlike everyone else. It is in everyone, and sadly it can be crushed. This happens because people just want to fit in. In “All Summer in a Day”, the author Ray Bradbury writes Margot wanting to fit in with the children, and this results in her getting locked up in a closet. Kij Johnson, the author in “Ponies”, writes Barbara in a desperate want to fit in with the popular group of girls.

What makes me unique is my diverse background, attention to detail, and enthusiasm to learn. My mother and father had me when they were sixteen years old. Both parents ended up dropping out of high school, and my father was a well-known gang member from Norwalk, California. My grandparents decided to raise me, so I would have a decent childhood. I grew up in the City of Pomona, California. While growing up, I was exposed to various artistic expressions, different music genres, and various cultures. After high school, I ended up enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. I served on active duty for seven years and four months and received an Honorable Discharge. While on active duty, I traveled to exotic countries such as Okinawa, Mainland Japan, South Korea, Australia, Kuwait, and Iraq. After my military service, I traveled to the Philippines. I can honestly say that I enjoy experiencing, and learning, from different cultures. This experience has allowed me to better understand and engage various people within my community, my work, and at school. Another characteristic that makes me unique is my attention to detail.

Notably, many people experience a different view of exceptionalism, which is rather negative about America. This contrary notion views America as being exceptionally bad, racist and even violence, no longer the country of hope. It is this concept that forms the basis of US foreign policy for the nation believes that God did not just command them to liberate their own country but even other nations. Is is believed to be the primary factor driving the global presence of United States military. The idea of exceptionalism claims that America is qualitatively different from any other country. It makes the country believe that they possess something that makes it more beneficial than other nations; its political and social superiority. According

What American ideal sets our country apart as unique and all its own, different from all other countries in the world? The idea of true liberty, or freedom from oppression within society (Oxford Dictionary), can be seen throughout American culture. This quality, however, has not always been equally demonstrated to all groups of people. Ever since the founding of the country, the African-American community has strived for liberty and equality in society. After being pushed down into the chains of slavery, they began to rise and fight for what was rightfully theirs through the blood, sweat, and tears of many. The American ideal of liberty has gradually expanded and provided new opportunities for the once enslaved community of African-Americans; this expansion has been the result of the lifelong efforts and struggles of members of that community like Olaudah Equiano, Frederick Douglass, Mr. Ryder, W.E.B. DuBois, and Booker T. Washington.

History has a very odd way of repeating itself, but is that always a bad thing? Hasn’t the United States of America had positive impacts upon itself such as the ending of slavery? Or the recession of the Great Depression? Or maybe even recently, the steadily rising stock market? But you must remember how low the country was before we were able to escape from those wretched times, including the Civil War, World War II and crash of the stock market in 1929 and 2008. This country of what seemed to be division at the time was able to be resilient and fight back for what the United States of America needed to strive for greatness. But how?