The nation will continue to watch presidential administrations come and go, shifting from isolationist to internationalist tendencies that derive from the concept and interpretation of American exceptionalism.
Part 4 in a series, "Is America Exceptional?". To read Part 1 ("Anti-Americanism and Foreign Policy"), go here. To read Part 2 ("American vs. French Revolution"), go here. To read Part 3 ("The Constitution and the Role of Christian Realism"), go here.
In this final installment of the series, "Is America Exceptional?", we will conclude with an analysis of the past three administrations' Inaugural Addresses and their view of American ideals and American exceptionalism, which has taken on very different definitions.
President Bush
In 2001, just 8 months before the terror attacks of September 11, President George W. Bush called for a national return to unity, character, and dignity. He noted that “the American story [is] a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals” (Bush, 2001).
He expounds on this idea, revealing that “the grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born . . . we are guided by a power larger than ourselves who creates us equal in His image” (2001). He describes the United States’ style of democracy as “a rock in a raging sea” in the 20th century, but points to a shift where “America’s faith in freedom and democracy” is now “a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations” (2001).
Within President Bush’s first inaugural address, there is a clear signal of movement toward the international export of American democracy, which remained a primary objective in the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. It is interesting to note how his goals of civility, courage, compassion, and character were realized after the tragedy of 9/11, when the American people were united.
Almost foreshadowing this unity that would follow months later, he states:
“Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves . . . when this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it . . . when this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it” (2001).
In closing, Bush points to the essential idea and “simple dream” of dignity as the foundation of the nation. Although he could not perceive the storm that would come later that year in September, President Bush closed with the remark that “an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm” (2001). Throughout both Bush and Obama’s inaugural addresses, as well as Mead’s lecture, there is a central theme of the nation in the midst of a storm.
President Obama
President Obama’s inaugural address focused on the return to particular ideals and an effort to reshape the nation’s destiny in a new era.
He credits the continuance of the American democracy to the fact that “we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents” (Obama, 2009). He notes the prevalent sentiment, a “nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights” (2009). He echoes Bush’s point regarding a “God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness”, but one of his chief goals is to “restore the vital trust between a people and their government” (2009).
It is unique to note here as Wilson does, as he speaks of the American people’s commitment to natural law:
“This commitment helps us understand an otherwise puzzling fact: Americans typically have a low opinion of our governing institutions, especially Congress, but an exceptionally high opinion of the constitutional system of which they are a part” (2006).
President Obama seems to suggest that people should trust their government; on the contrary – Americans rarely trust government institutions. However, they do trust the nation’s Constitutional foundations and the system that it produced.
Obama continues his inaugural address, calling for a return to “honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism” because the American people “have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world” and “God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny” (2009).
He closes with his own storm analogy: “With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come” (2009). Throughout the address, Obama promotes the internationalist impulse of American exceptionalism.
President Trump
In contrast to President Obama’s speech, President Trump’s inaugural address focused on restoration of American strength and the return of power to the people.
While Obama believed that the American people needed to trust the government more, Trump declared that “we are transferring power from Washington, D.C. and giving it back to you, the American People” (Trump, 2017).
In a shift away from the internationalist tone of Bush and Obama’s inaugural addresses, Trump emphasizes an America First approach: “we will seek friendship and goodwill with the nations of the world – but we do so with the understanding that it is the right of all nations to put their own interests first . . . we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow” (2017).
Like Bush and Obama, he credits the American spirit to face any threat, stating that “no challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America” (2017).
In closing, he points to the foundational idea that each person is “infused with the breath of life by the same almighty Creator” (2017).
Ultimate Analysis of the 3 Inaugural Addresses:
Throughout all three addresses, the central theme of unity persists. However, on a deeper level, one fundamental theme of American exceptionalism is threaded throughout each address: that each person is created equal by a Creator who endows the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Conclusion of the Series, "Is America Exceptional?"
Despite critics who would argue otherwise, America is indeed exceptional in its expression of democracy and the foundational moral and religious truths upon which the Constitution was based.
American democracy is exceptional because it favors liberty as a God-given right, but it also recognizes human depravity.
In the context of Christian realism in foreign policy, one can see humanity for what it is: made in the image of God, flawed but inherently valuable.
The nation will continue to watch presidential administrations come and go, shifting from isolationist to internationalist tendencies that derive from the concept and interpretation of American exceptionalism.
Christian realism and American exceptionalism are as relevant to a Christian understanding of national security and politics as a beacon in a storm, guiding weary sailors toward a safe harbor; they provide a historical, steady, sober, and grounded basis from which we can navigate uncharted waters in politics or foreign affairs and glorify our Creator.
Sources:
Bush, G. (2001, January 20). President George W. Bush's Inaugural Address. Retrieved March
Mead, W. R. (2018, November). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF2ldX_hF1o&feature=emb_title
Obama, B. (2009, January 21). President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address. Retrieved March
28, 2020, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/01/21/president-barack-obamas-inaugural-address
Trump, D. (2017, January 20). The Inaugural Address. Retrieved March 28, 2020, from
Wilson, J. Q. (2006, August 23). American Exceptionalism. Retrieved March 28, 2020, from
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