What does it mean to be an American? At first, this seems to be a simple question, but the idea of being an American is viewed differently around the world. In the 2006 article “The Problem with American Exceptionalism,” most foreigners outside the United States have a negative opinion of Americans. This is because of a misunderstanding that Americans are very religious and nationalistic when it comes to foreign affairs. Another confusion about Americans is that we look down on others and force countries to adopt our beliefs. This is usually a very rare case, shown in a Chicago poll conducted in 2005 stating that only 27 percent of Americans were committed to spreading democracy. In actuality, Americans do think democracy is a great system,