Our nation's immigrants came to this country seeking to establish self-sovereignty endowed by the creator, as did the Framers.
When immigrants arrive, and do so legally, they assimilate in the same spirit to become dyed-in-the-wool Americans. That makes the country exceptional.
Let's consider the words from our Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776:
"(A) decent respect of the opinions of the mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation," and, thereby, "to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them." — The Declaration of Independence.
This writer is struck by how much The Declaration of Independence reads like a detailed explanation of why it was so ordained.
The Declaration begins with a list of grievances that makes the King of England a tyrant unfit to be the ruler of a free people. “We, therefore . . . of Right ought to be free and independent . . . are absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown," the document submits.
It almost sounds like that the Founding Fathers were arguing a case before the House of Lords.
In the same vein, the U.S. Constitution, too, starts with a preamble, effectively an explanation of why.
The U.S. Constitution continues on the same theme as follows, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
The Constitutional Convention differentiated the new nation from the colonial masters in England, which still does not have a written constitution.
They also put forward with an explanation for the state to exist. The State was created only to secure unalienable rights for the people deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
As this writer reads and studies the documents, it becomes readily apparent that the theme of self-sovereignty is paramount, and the most prevalent.
Even if our American experiment is always a work in progress, the individual is still endowed by their creator and thus created in creator’s image.
Therefore, it is the individual who is supreme.
The state is not.
The state exists only to facilitate and deliver on a few promises.
The notion that an individual is supreme in his or her being, just because, and the state has to show cause, is uniquely potent.
I view with the eyes of an immigrant as I am.
Immigrants color the American palette in the original colors of the Founders, because foundational ideals reverberated in their souls and brought them here.
A big reason why an overwhelming majority are attracted to the U.S. is the concept of supremacy of the individual over the state. That concept is both enshrined and reiterated.
Individuals who self-select themselves for the journey tend to be created in that image itself. Self-selection makes them feel at home in the company of others so inclined, even if ex-ante they had nothing in common but an embrace of the shared unknown.
American exceptionalism may have originated in the caverns of the Philadelphia City Hall, with the persons gathered there "celebrating" self-interest and self-actualization.
The U.S. may have been born on the Fourth of July, but these forces of her will were born before and still reverberate outside of her borders.
Those who come from elsewhere carry a yearning of self-sovereign in us to seek out fellow travelers. We are not chosen by history; we are chosen by ourselves.
Despite differences, "We the People" are tied to each other by an invisible hand that is rooted in our evolutionary instincts longer lasting than a (few) thousand years' collective itch.
We don't have to be born here to place your hand on the heart and swear allegiance to the flag and all that it represents.
An overwhelming component of our technological and scientific supremacy accrues to those who started on a path just like this writer did three decades ago.
Our American experiment is copious enough to accommodate most of our individual peccadillos; therefore, we rarely find time to heed to voices in the shadows.
The vocal majority flushes them out.
America does not have grandiose gates for people to walk in, we do not even make it too easy — yours truly waited almost 23 years before earning citizenship.
Yet, crowds pour in.
It keeps the nation young, vibrant, and entrepreneurial, bubbling with ideas. Brickbats may pour in at first, but we are convinced that we earn our rights to define the next chapter of "America the Beautiful."
And we do.
If that is not exceptional, what is?
All opinions ion the preceding column are those of the author solely, of the author alone, and do not necessarily represent that of any organization he may be part of. The author alone is responsible for any error or omission.
Partha Chakraborty, Ph.D., CFA is an economist, a statistician, and a financial analyst by training. Currently he's an entrepreneur in the field of water access, AI/ML, and wealth management in the U.S. and India. Dr. Chakraborty lives in Southern California. Read Partha Chakraborty's Reports — More Here.