The Rhetoric of American Exceptionalism: Critical Essays

229 Pages·2011·1.181 MB·English

by  David Weiss, Jason A. Edwards

The Rhetoric of
American Exceptionalism
This page intentionally left blank
The Rhetoric
of American
Exceptionalism
Critical Essays
Edited by JASON A. EDWARDS
and DAVID WEISS

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina, and London
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
The rhetoric of American exceptionalism : critical essays / edited by
Jason A. Edwards and David Weiss.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7864-5970-4
softcover : 50# alkaline paper
1. National characteristics, American—Political aspects.
2. National characteristics, American—Social aspects.
3. Exceptionalism—United States. 4. Rhetoric—Political

aspects—United States. 5. Rhetoric—Social aspects—
United States. 6. Communication—Political aspects—
United States. I. Edwards, Jason A., 1973– II. Weiss, David.
E169.1.R497 2011
327.73—dc22 2011007776

BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2011Jason A. Edwards and David Weiss. All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, i ncluding photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without p ermission in writing from the publisher.
Cover photograph by Patrick Rolands

Front cover by TG Design

Manufactured in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
Acknowledgments
We have many people to thank for this volume. We would like to extend
thanks to our family and friends for putting up with us as we put this project
together over the past two years.
Jason would like to thank Bridgewater State University for providing
him a CART Summer Grant in 2010 to help finish production of this book.
Moreover, he thanks his colleagues in the Department of Communication
Studies at Bridgewater State for providing a conducive work environment for
completing this book. Special thanks go to Maria Hegbloom, Bjorn Ingvold-
stad, Melanie McNaughton, and Nancy Van Leuven. Additionally, Jason
thanks his parents, Jim and Paulette Edwards, for their continual support of
his scholarly endeavors. His brother Jeff, sister Robin, sister- in- law Pia, and
b rother-i n-l aw Lee helped keep him constantly laughing and sane throughout

this process. Finally, Jason thanks Amber Luckie, who has given him a new
direction in life and daily dosages of inspiration. This acknowledgment is a

small payment on a debt that can never be fully repaid.
David would like to thank Dean Tasneem Khaleel, the Montana State
University–Billings Foundation, and his colleagues in the MSU-B Commu-
nication and Theatre Department for their support and constant encourage-
ment throughout the planning, editing, and writing processes; special thanks

are due to Sue B alter-R eitz, Steve Coffman, Dan Gross, Sarah Keller, Randy
Pugh, Kathy Sabe, and Melinda Tilton. Additional thanks go to David’s par-
ents, Aaron and Gladys Weiss, his sister and s ister-i n-l aw, Amy Weiss and

Mindy Walwer, and his aunt, Gert Sirkin, who never fail to express their
unconditional love and their pride in his accomplishments even when he’s

not actually accomplishing anything. It would not have been possible for
David to stay grounded, throughout the duration of this project or at almost

any other point during the past 30 years, without the companionship and
good humor of friends Anthony Barone, Mike Bufton, Donna Cohn, Susan
v
vi Acknowledgments
Busch & Richard DiNardo, Gary Ensana & David Vickrey, Mike Ettlinger,
Lynda Finn & Emily Jones, Debby Geis, Susan & Dan Kahn, Colleen Kaleda
& Thad McCracken, Ed Ku, Marylou Lane & Gary Hill, Kathy Moore &
Josh Chaiken, Ken Norz, Franny Osman & Bill Freeman, Janet Pennisi &
David Jacobs, Lloyd Roberts, Lorisa Seibel & Ron Grunwald, Chari Smith
& Ira Diamant, Illana Saraf & James Tulsky, Steve Wells, Regina & Joe
Wilmes, and Beth Zemsky. Finally, David would like to thank and acknowl-
edge Karen Foss for being not only a mentor and advisor but also a valued
friend.
We would also like to thank our contributors to this project. Editing
this book has been a challenge as well as a labor of love. We appreciate each
author’s openness to our suggestions as we guided this book to its completion.
We hope they enjoy the final product as much as we do.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments v
Introduction: American Exceptionalism’s Champions and Challengers
DAVID WEISS and JASON A. EDWARDS 1
Part I. Champions of American Exceptionalism
1. The Rhetoric in the Modern Presidency: A Quantitative
Assessment
RICO NEUMANN and KEVIN COE 11
2. Resolving Rhetorical Tensions
M. KAREN WALKER 31
3. One Nation Under God: Mormon Theology and the

American Continent

BRETT LUNCEFORD 48
4. R e-C ontextualizing Americanism: The National Association
of Manufacturers’ Jeremiad for Free Enterprise During the

Roosevelt Era
BURTON ST. JOHN, III 63

5. The Redeem Team Saves USA Basketball: An Analysis of
the U.S.-China 2008 Olympic Games
KATHERINE L. LAVELLE 82

Part II. Challengers to American Exceptionalism

6. Mormonism and America as Promised Land in Joseph Smith’s

Letter from Liberty Jail
DAVID CHARLES GORE 101
vii
viii Table of Contents
7. Henry Cabot Lodge and the Rhetorical Trajectory
MICHAEL J. HOSTETLER 118
8. Discursive Characterization as Embodiment and Critique:
The Divergent Rhetorical Trajectories of Pat Tillman as an
American Hero
ARTHUR W. HERBIG 132
9. The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site: Challenge
to and Reification of American Exceptionalism
LINDSAY R. CALHOUN 153
10. Those Who Bear the Heaviest Burden: Warfare and
American Exceptionalism in the Age of Entitlement
CHRISTINA M. KNOPF 171
11. Promoting America: U.S. Public Diplomacy and the Limits
of Exceptionalism
CRAIG HAYDEN 189
About the Contributors 211
Index 215
Introduction:
American Exceptionalism’s
Champions and Challengers
DAVID WEISS and JASON A. EDWARDS
American exceptionalism is the distinct belief that the United States is
unique, if not superior, when compared to other nations (McCartney, 2006;
McCrisken, 2003; Rodgers, 2004). Champions of American exceptionalism
hold that because of its national credo, historical evolution, and unique origins,
America is a special nation with a special role—possibly ordained by God—
to play in human history. The belief in American exceptionalism is a funda-
mental aspect of U.S. cultural capital and national identity (Lipset, 1996;
Madsen, 1998). It is an essential part of America’s political, cultural, and social
DNA. Deborah Madsen has argued that American exceptionalism has always
“offered a mythological refuge from the chaos of history and the uncertainty
of life” (1998, p. 166). For Americans, exceptionalism projects a certain telos
where the United States continues to progress, ever attempting to create a
“more perfect union,” and never succumbing to the forces of decay (McCris -
ken, 2003). To believers in American exceptionalism, the United States con-
tinues to move in a constant upward pattern, remaining the beacon of light in
the darkness and the defender of the rights of man as long as the nation exists.

Moreover, America and Americans are exceptional because they are charged
with saving the world from itself; at the same time, America and Americans
must maintain a high level of devotion to this destiny. Ultimately, champions
of American exceptionalism argue that American exceptionalism functions to

order Americans’ universe and define their place in it (Hunt, 1988).
The rhetoric of American exceptionalism permeates every period of
1