Being Me: My Belief In American Exceptionalism

Simon Watson

Professor: Kathryn Gessner

English 1A

30th of September 2015

Being Me The single most important thing about me as a person is my love of America, and my belief in American exceptionalism. I was born (and have spent the majority of my life) in ‘the land down under’ – Australia. The land of deserts, forests, pastures, and dangerous animals, most notably the tweakers and gang bangers in the suburbs of Australia. I come from a fifty acre farm on the edge of a state forest, and only an hour away from the big and beautiful city of Melbourne, which is situated in Victoria – the state farthest south in the mainland. I’ve had a deep love for America ever since I was a small child, as I grew older this grew from a blind feeling, to an

The United States has always had an important role to play on the international stage. For the past one hundred years that role has been indispensible, American has been the determining player which has saved the world from Fascism, Communism, and now today’s battle with Islamic terrorism. American power and American leadership was, and is the only guarantor of peace, prosperity, and freedom throughout the world. In 1964 Ronald Reagan said that America is "…the last, best hope of man on earth." The concept of American exceptionalism isn't that America has a perfect government, perfect citizens, or perfect laws; the essence of American exceptionalism is that America is the only nation in the history of the world founded on, by, and for ideas and principles, as opposed to mere

If you did bet on that being the case - you’d be dead on the money. Because you’re an American, there’s a decent chance that you some level of sympathy and understanding regarding my views. Sadly this is not the case overseas, even in a country like Australia, where anti-American sentiment is relatively low. If the Australian government received a dollar for every time I was mocked by an ignorant person, questioning the validity of my beliefs, than we might just be able to provide for our own national security without American assistance. I am not easily swayed or influenced by the opinions of those around me, some call this being stubborn, and in some instances it could act as a weakness, but in my case it has served as a strength. It has empowered me to focus on my vision with determination, as evidenced by the fact that I am writing this essay in my house in Redding California, not Melbourne