Liverpool University Press American Exceptionalism: The Effects of Plenty on the American Experience

Product Description In general, all societies have evolved from a background in which people were many and resources were few. Thus the creation of their ideas, values, and institutions needed to adjust to that reality. The unique history of the United States, however, makes it an exception. There people were few but resources were endless. Thus, American traditions, values, ideas, and institutions which were of European origin had to undergo major transformations. The reality of plenty is thus the key to understanding the uniqueness of American civilization. Review "A fresh intellectual history of the role of the frontier in the American national experience ... An excellent analyis of the positive and dark sides of the American national experience." --American Studies, University of Kansas and the Mid-American Studies Association About the Author Arnon Gutfeld is an associate professor of American history at Tel Aviv University. He is the author of several books, including American Democracy, The Beginnings of a Nation, and From Civil War to Cold War.