The Idea Of Exceptionalism In The 1800's

The idea of exceptionalism was not solely an American idea. The Japanese felt that they were the best in every way possible in the mid-1800’s. This was the time period of manifest destiny expansion, which is when Americans thought that expanding in all directions was inevitable. James Bradley, a businessman whose father was in the famous Iwo Jima photo of the Americans putting the flag up, wrote Flyboys and he writes how the Japanese thought that they were superior in every way. Hundreds of years before this, the Mongol army attempted to raid and conquer Japan not once but twice. Both times they were defeated before they even reached Japan, by something called the kamikaze. The kamikaze was god wind which leads the Japanese people to come up with the idea that their land as “divine, unconquerable land” (Bradley 18).

This is exactly what the Japanese thought, they were the only place in all of the world to have this spiritual protection. Calling your land “the land of the gods” shows that every other place is not as good as you (Bradley 17). Gods are portrayed to be the strongest and most idolized thing on earth and if you compare yourself to them that is a big accusation. With this feeling, the Japanese thought that everything they did was right. Another thing was that the military became a prized aspect for the Japanese. The military was seen as the upper class and if you did not obey them you “may be cut down on the spot” (Bradley 17). The Japanese government was ruling their people with an iron fist. With this, the people were afraid to act out, which was perfect for the Japanese. They did not want anyone to leave, so by implementing this fear of death will prevent those who want to leave. The feeling of being with the gods gave the Japanese a large ego, which leads them to do unnecessary things to their