The USSR was another super power, so no the US are not the sole one even in recent history...

USA is a nation among others. Being 'exceptional' doesn't mean anything. If anything, Americans are exceptional in the fact they spend a lot more than they earn, which can't work on the long run. Borrowed money must be paid back one day.

It's likely you won't even see this question asked anymore as soon as China takes over, which is starting to happen now.

In the grand scheme of history, US supremacy will be remembered as relatively short (roughly 60 years) compared to ancient powers (Egypt, Greece, Rome...).

It's just it's our times, so we think it's the only period which matters. It's an illusion.

Akvod said: Edit: Thought the concept of American exceptionalism was well known. Here's Wikipedia's intro: American exceptionalism From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to:navigation, search Progress of America, 1875, by Domenico Tojetti American exceptionalism is the theory that the United States occupies a special niche among the nations of the world[1] in terms of its national credo, historical evolution, political and religious institutions, and its being built by immigrants. The roots of the belief are attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville,[2][3] who claimed that the then-50-year-old United States held a special place among nations, because it was the first modern democracy. The theory of American exceptionalism has a number of opponents, especially from the Left,[4][5][6][7] who argue that the belief is "self-serving and jingoistic," [1] that it is based on a myth,[8] and that "[t]here is a growing refusal to accept" the idea of exceptionalism both nationally and internationally.[9]   In short, is the US a unique country? I mean, one can argue that America has no native citzenry. While countries like say, the homogeneous Japanese, tie citizenship and race (along with history) very closely, we are a country of ideals. People came here, not born here, because they held and sought the ideals of freedom, instead of serfdom, meritocracy, instead of aristocracy, etc. But counter arguments will include native americans, slavery, white supremacy, anti-immigration sentiments, growing income gap, etc.   I say that it was a hugely unique country at its birth, and now... ehhhh

all countries are unique in there own way.

what your talking about appears to be mere patriotism or in a more exterme form, nationalism, which exists in all nations to varying degrees and with varying levels of popularity.

so, my answer is No, your nation is no more exceptional than any other nation is.

Wow, that's quite the ignorant America hating.

How is America exceptional because the people spend more than they earn (or the government)? That describes a bunch of countries in Europe. Hardly exceptional when you say that the U.S. wasn't exceptional for being a superpower when the U.S.S.R. also was. And how is China taking over? They may be more influential in the future, but right now they're not really doing anything (probably smart of them).

Plus, I think U.S. supremacy will be remembered for a lot more than being "THE ZOMG BEST COUNTRY ON TEH PLANET." The U.S. is pretty much the only country in the history of the planet (besides the British Empire) that could claim influence on a widescale and worldwide stage. Not to mention that American culture changes the culture of the world every day through music, movies, videogames, and other mediums. It's not comparable.

No, because the same thing could be said about nearly every nation in the Western Hemisphere. What an arrogant thing to ask.

Yes, no matter if you love it or hate it the USA is truly exceptional.

The USA is an exceptional and even unique nation on so many levels (its culture, history, economy, military, science, influence on the rest of the world, the mentality of its people etc), that you'd have to go back to the Ancient times to find an equivalent.

Yes.

We're exceptional in the way that we've contributed so much to the world, despite our age and demographics.

Thats not to say we're better than the other collective nations of the world, but we are placed in a very unique situation as being so large of a nation that has had so much influence on the world. India and China are many times larger, but have smaller economies, much poorer people, less world influence (China may get there in a few decades, if ever).

We have exceptional people, because they are based from all the people groups of the world - European, Asian, African, Native American, ect.

We have exceptional resources which have benefited many people around the world, especially our food products.

Our people are incredibly well off. Cost of living in the US is below Europe, despite household incomes being higher. Our poor and poverty-stricken do very well for themselves (sans maybe Detroit). We have low taxes, very high productivity. And so on.

Does that make us better than everyone else? Not necessarily. Does that make us exception compared to most other nations? Yes. The closest nation to us in terms of size/population/resources was the USSR, and we know how that ended up politically and economically. The Eurozone would be somewhat comparable if it held up another 30-40 years, but it seems that it may falter too, showing how well the US developed itself.

this thread is only going to become a breeding ground for more America hating.

Or a breeding ground for American nationalism. Either way, both are something I don't like.

Is America a country that has left a profound mark on history and considering the circumstances, the unknown future? Yes absolutely and I don't think anyone would argue against that. But let's just leave it at that. Why try and start acting like we are some super race among men. Why start acting like this is the only group of people to identify with one-selves as those who have done something amazing in history. If ya want to say America is an exceptional... ya know what fine... I can deal with that. But don't turn it into some racist-nationalist propaganda to assert America as the greatest thing since fire. And on the other side, stop trying to bring America down at every god-giving chance you have... the effects America has had on this world have been extraordinary and trying to deny it based on simple bias is silly.

On the whole exceptionalism thing though, I try to not really make those arguments until the civilization exists no more. Meaning I don't think this is a discussion for us. I think we could argue some past civilizations have been exceptional, if we were to go by the term, but we haven't seen America all the way through yet. But really, does it even matter if you aren't a historian... hmm.

America is exceptional, it has many countries and very different cultures. I like the fact that most of the population likes football and there are many pretty places.

I dislike the poverty and the fact most countries are influenced by big superpowers. I believe if we can make all those poor countries better we can turn into a great continent and be more influential than europe, but I think some countries have to find their identity first and get a name.

So then what's Canada?