Abstract
Alexis de Tocqueville was the first author to write that 'the position of the Americans' was 'quite exceptional.' But the modern notion of American Exceptionalism emerged in the 50s and 60s, and has been particularly challenged since then. This concept refers to the 'exempt' and 'exemplary' character of the American nation. This nation has been exempt from the cycle of growth and decline, and shall act as a model for all other nations in this respect. This idea of an exemplary nation is highly bounded with the assumption of 'American national superiority.' The predominance of the middle class and the absence of class conflict is also an important component which makes the United States unique. When scholars or politicians, all for this exceptionalism, write or talk about America's distinctiveness, are inclined to ignore the negative side of American history and contemporary behaviours. Thus, the aim of this essay will be to define to what extent this assertion is true and to what extent it is not.
