Exceptional America: Newness and National Identity (Major Concepts in Politics and Political Theory)

The belief that America is not only different but «exceptional» is a central aspect of American identity that appears in the speeches and writings of John Winthrop to Martin Luther King Jr. to Ronald Reagan. Yet how and why America is exceptional has produced widely diverse answers. Philip Abbott alters this debate by arguing that Americans are the way they talk. He examines American exceptionalism as a preoccupation with «newness» in both politics and culture and traces its influence in a series of great American political texts, including the __Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, Democracy in America, Walden, The Souls of Black Folk__, and various novels and speeches. Introduction : We Are How We Talk -- Contemporary Critiques : The Exceptionalist Presence -- The Beloved Text : America's Multiple Newness In Jefferson's Notes On The State Of Virginia -- The Sacred Text : What's New In The Federalist Papers -- The Outside Text : Tocqueville And The New -- The Merged Text : The Declaration Of Independence From Philadelphia To Gettysburg To Birmingham -- Entangled Texts : Exceptionalism Within Exceptionalism In Dubois' The Souls Of Black Folk And The Southern Agrarians I'll Take My Stand -- (re)newed Texts : Thoreau's And Luhan's Agri-cultural Settlements -- Texts Of Regret : Radical Self-critique In The Novels Of Tess Slesinger, Mary Mccarthy And Marge Piercy -- Conclusion : Ducks, Sheds, And Freeways. Philip Abbott. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [241]-247) And Index. Contents 2 Preface 4 Introduction 6 Contemporary Critiques 20 The Beloved Text 51 The Sacred Text 75 The Outside Text 100 The Merged Text 124 Entangled Texts 149 ( Re) newed Texts 175 Texts of Regret 204 Conclusion 229 Selected Bibliography 241 Index 248