American Exceptionalism

Recent media headlines have said "American Exceptionalism Is a Dangerous Myth" and pronounced the "Decline of American Exceptionalism." The writers of these headlines are not describing the same America that many see. American Exceptionalism is real and is as strong now as it has ever been. America leads the world in so many ways—charitable giving, technological innovation, and energy development are just a few.

• Technological Innovation

  American Exceptionalism is real and is as strong now as it has ever been. The U.S. remains the world leader in technology from aerospace and aviation to robotics and artificial intelligence to the microchip and even Facebook.

• Generosity

  American Exceptionalism is real and is as strong now as it has ever been. American individuals, estates, foundations and corporations contributed an estimated $390 billion to U.S. Charities in 2016; and over 63 million individuals volunteered their time to charitable work.

• Energy Production

  American Exceptionalism is real and is as strong now as it has ever been. American Energy is strong on natural gas, strong on oil and strong on nuclear power.

• Medical Research

  American Exceptionalism is real and is as strong now as it has ever been. The U.S. spends more than any country in the world on Medical R&D, with total expenditure hitting $171.8 billion in 2016, and American Researchers publish the lion's share of science papers.