The Frontier Myth in Modern American Politics

Year 2003, Issue: 17, 79 - 92, 01.04.2003

Ole O. Moen

Abstract

The United States of America is a unique nation, a fact that no president fails to observe frequently in his speeches. This so-called American exceptionalism has many roots and manifestations, but one very important aspect of this uniqueness is the special brand of nationalism that glues this nation together, a kind of super-nationalism which is based not on common generic or cultural roots, but on a set of agreed-on values, a theoretical construct serving as a national adhesive constituting a broad national consensus. Consequently, there is a great need for and reliance on uniting symbols and metaphors as well as myths and legends to confirm and bolster these national values. And, as a natural corollary, there has always been— although at times latent—a fundamental fear of fragmentation in the nation.

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