A City Upon A Hill: The Spirit of American Exceptionalism

A City Upon A Hill: The Spirit of American Exceptionalism Synopsis

What is American Exceptionalism and why is it so important?

During his travels in 1831, French writer, Alexis de Tocqueville, observed that America was an exceptional nation with a special role to play in history. Tocqueville wrote that, unlike Europe, where social standing defined a citizens, America was a new republic where liberty, equality, individualism, and laissez-faire economics defined the "American Creed."

In A CITY UPON A HILL, hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich, we see that throughout our history, the United States has risen to great challenges -- sometimes out of necessity but often out of the determination to create a better future.

At the time of our founding, no other nation had adopted the radical ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No other nation had declared, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" --rights that no king or government could take away.

A CITY UPON A HILL explores the concept of American Exceptionalism from its origin to the present day. What makes our Declaration of Independence and Constitution special? Why did George Washington relinquish power? How did we climb out of the Great Depression to become the world's greatest economic power? Why did we lead the liberation of Europe during World War II? And why was it important to be the first to land on the moon?