The Intellectual Construction of America: Exceptionalism and Identity From 1492 to 1800

by Jack P. Greene

Overview

Jack Greene explores the changing definitions of America from the time of Europe's first contact with the New World through the establishment of the American republic. Challenging historians who have argued that colonial American societies differed little from those of early modern Europe, he shows that virtually all contemporary observers emphasized the distinctiveness of the new worlds being created in America. Rarely considering the high costs paid by Amerindians and Africans in the construction of those worlds, they cited the British North American colonies as evidence that America was for free people a place of exceptional opportunities for individual betterment and was therefore fundamentally different from the Old World. Greene suggests that this concept of American societies as exceptional was a central component in their emerging identity. The success of the American Revolution helped subordinate Americans' long-standing sense of cultural inferiority to a more positive sense of collective self that sharpened and intensified the concept of American exceptionalism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807861776
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	11/09/2000
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	228
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Jack P. Greene is Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at The Johns Hopkins University. He is author of several books, including Pursuits of Happiness: The Social Development of Early Modern British Colonies and the Formation of American Culture.

Table of Contents

Preface Prologue Chapter 1. Expectations: The European Fabrication of America in the Sixteenth Century Chapter 2. Encounters: Projection and Design in the Construction of English America, 1580-1690
Chapter 3. Experiences: The Behavioral Articulation of British America, 1690-1760
Chapter 4. Evaluations: The Conceptual Identification of British America, 1715-1775
Chapter 5. Examinations: The European Response to the American Revolution, 1776-1800
Chapter 6. Explanations: Revolution and Redefinition, 1774-1800
Epilogue Index

Illustrations Renaissance Discoveries Vespucci Awakens a Sleeping America America at the End of the Sixteenth Century Invasion of America Mutiny in Jamaica Utopia A Century of Spanish Activities in America East Coast of North America in the Late Sixteenth Century America Connecticut Colony Seal New York Colony Coat of Arms Design of Philadelphia View of Savannah Sachem and Soldier Colonel Jacque Tobacco Plantation Hercules and the Waggoner Public Buildings of Williamsburg View of Philadelphia View of Boston Town and Country Community Scenes John Bartram's House and Garden New England View New York City Hall Tryon's Palace Faneuil Hall Charleston Exchange Redwood Library Nassau Hall America as Example Pennsylvania State Seal America as a Land of Freedom An American Settlement America and Fame Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences Maryland State Seal An American New Cleared Farm View from Bushongo Tavern Seat of Moses Gill View of Mulberry Plantation The Beckoning West A Settled Rural Landscape Seat of Colonel George Boyd Philadelphia Public Buildings Invitation from America

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

[An] exceptional book.—Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism



Just as the debate over American exceptionalism seemed to reach its conclusion—or at least to reach a stalemate—Greene has asked us to refine the question. Was America exceptional? It all depends.—American Historical Review



Greene's important book, in reminding us of the ways in which contemporaries identified America as an exceptional place promising opportunity unattainable in the Old World, has shifted the terms of debate for those who are interested in the relationship between colony and metropolis in the early modern period.—Journal of Southern History



This beautifully produced volume is topical, readable and provocative. It will fuel debate over which master narrative, if any, best explains American identity.—American Studies



This is a beautifully presented work, with well-chosen illustrations that are contemporary to the points being made in the text.—Virginia Magazine of History and Biography



Jack Greene has engaged two issues of great interest: American exceptionalism and the construction of national identity. The argument he offers is complex, subtle, and supported by vast documentation. This book will compel scholars to rethink the issue of exceptionalism and likely will give the idea new life.—Richard L. Bushman, Columbia University



In this provocative book, Jack Greene offers a fresh look at the much-contested question of American exceptionalism. Identifying the idea as much with Europeans as with Americans and concluding that neither group saw this exceptional state as exclusively American but rather as a model that could be emulated everywhere, Greene may well have introduced a significant change in the terms of the debate.—Thad W. Tate, The College of William and Mary

Editorial Reviews

Though historians argue that the colonial settlements in North America differed little from those of contemporary Europeans, says Greene (humanities, Johns Hopkins U.), the settlers themselves consistently emphasized the distinctiveness of America. Their view of the new land was generally affirmative, but they felt culturally inferior to Europe. He also shows how this attitude required dehumanizing both native Americans and Africans. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

ÝAn¨ exceptional book.

"Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism"

ÝReminds¨ us of the ways in which contemporaries identified America as an exceptional place promising opportunity unattainable Ýin Europe¨.

"Journal of Southern History"

This beautifully produced volume is topical, readable and provocative.

"American Studies"

This book will compel scholars to rethink the issue of exceptionalism and likely will give the idea new life.

Richard L. Bushman, Columbia University

This is a beautifully presented work, with well-chosen illustrations that are contemporary to the points being made in the text.

"Virginia Magazine of History and Biography"

"This beautifully produced volume is topical, readable and provocative.

"American Studies""

"This book will compel scholars to rethink the issue of exceptionalism and likely will give the idea new life.

Richard L. Bushman, Columbia University"

"This is a beautifully presented work, with well-chosen illustrations that are contemporary to the points being made in the text.

"Virginia Magazine of History and Biography""

[An] exceptional book.

"Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism"

[Reminds] us of the ways in which contemporaries identified America as an exceptional place promising opportunity unattainable [in Europe].

"Journal of Southern History"

From the Publisher