Beginning of Essay
Perhaps one of the most ambiguous creeds to develop concerning the United States is , a largely controversial ideology both despised and revered by conflicting historians. Enticed by the presence of a mode of thought so unique to the United States, believers in t ....

Middle of Essay
.... a further opinion regarding exceptionalism in America to emerge that encompasses both sides. The definition of American exceptionalism is as ill defined as the philosophy itself, stemming from centuries of writings that convey more of an overtone than a tangible explication. Yet, Lipset has no trouble asserting that American exceptionalism takes the form of "liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism, and laissez-faire," all characteristics of Americans, from the revolutionary period to modern times. Thomas Massaro, a -reviewer of Lipset's obviously controversial book American Exceptionalism: A Double-Edged Sword, paraphrases Lipset simp ....