Jan. 10--American Identity: An Introduction and Baseline

1. "Exceptionalism"
   1. Problems
      1. Uncritical Pride
      2. Inability to Deal With Rest of World
      3. Open to Challenge
   2. BUT
      1. A Good Baseline
      2. A "Family Resemblance"
      3. Identity as Central to Our Public Discourse
2. Elements
   1. A "New" People
   2. Shaped by Environment
      1. The "Wilderness"
         1. A Place to "Civilize"
         2. A Foil for "Civilization"--The "Noble Savage"
         3. An Image of "Liberation"
      2. The "Frontier"
         1. The Sturdy Pioneer
         2. The Site for a New Society
   3. The "Melting Pot"
   4. "Innocence"
      1. Human Nature as Naturally Good
      2. A National Innocence
   5. Equality
   6. Individualism
   7. The "Free Market"
      1. As "Liberating" Alternative to Human Authority
      2. As a New Kind of "Enslaver"
   8. A People of Plenty
   9. A People of "Progress"
   10. A Land with a Mission--The "City on a Hill"
       1. Arrogance Toward Others, BUT ALSO
       2. A Call for Purity