FINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Industriousness and American Exceptionalism
NAME
LU ID
GOVT 329-XXX
Prof. Ronald Miller
Liberty University, March 2, 2020
2
Abstract
This research paper examines the trait of industriousness as it relates to the idea of American
exceptionalism. This trait was chosen for the role it plays in making America uniquely different
than all other nations, which is showcased in both American immigrants and American-born
citizens. Industriousness came to be uniquely associated with American culture due to the
booming American industries and the observations of those who witnessed American
exceptionalism firsthand. Industriousness can serve as either a benefit or a detriment to American
exceptionalism, depending on the virtue or vice of the people. While evidence of this trait can
still be found in modern-day America, the spirit of industriousness is on the decline. Americans
must fight to preserve this spirit and the promise of freedom, in order to prevent government
intervention or the loss of this trait altogether.
Keywords: industriousness, American exceptionalism, freedom promise.
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Defining Terms
Charles Murray’s American Exceptionalism: An Experiment in History defines four traits
demonstrated by Americans in the early days of the nation which made America exceptional:
industriousness, egalitarianism, religiosity, and community life.1 Industriousness, the topic at
hand, is more than working hard; “it signifies the bone-deep American assumption that life is to
be spent getting ahead through hard work and thereby making a better life for oneself and one’s
children”.2 According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, industriousness means “constantly,
regularly, or habitually active or occupied.”3 As Murray explains, the rest of the world is
fascinated by the industriousness of the American people and it contributes to concept of
American exceptionalism.4
But where did the term American “exceptionalism” come from and how is it defined?
Alexis de Tocqeville, French political thinker and historian, coined the term after his travel to
and investigation of America. In his famous book, Democracy in America, Tocqueville states,
“The position of the Americans is therefore quite exceptional, and it may be believed that no
democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one”.5 As Tocqueville clarifies throughout his
work, “American exceptionalism” is not to be confused with the idea that America is greater than
all nations, rather that it is unique.6 Some U.S. foreign policy experts have defined a nation’s
exceptionalism to be “that [a nation] either withdraw[s] from the world like an isolated but
inspiring "city upon a hill," or that [a nation is] called upon to actively lead the rest of the world
1 Murray, Charles A. “The Elements of American Exceptionalism” in American Exceptionalism: An
Experiment in History. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 2013.
2 Ibid.
3 “Industriousness.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 26, 2020.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/industriousness.
4 Murray, “The Elements of American Exceptionalism” in American Exceptionalism.
5 Metaxas, E. (2017). If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty. New York: Penguin
Books, 181.
6 Ibid.
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to a better future.”7 American is defined as “Of or relating to America”8 and exceptionalism as
“the condition of being different from the norm”.9 When these two definitions are put together,
the phrase “American exceptionalism” proposes that the condition of America or of things
relating to America is different than that which is considered normal.
Early American Culture
Since early America, the rest of the world has been fascinated by the industriousness, or
industry, of United States citizens.10 Although Americans have been known for their natural
industriousness and ingenuity even since the colonists’ settled in Jamestown,11 it was during the
first thirty years of the 1800s that the American industry was truly born.12 Factories began to take
the place of local craftsmen, producing items to be shipped and sold all over the States.13 Oliver
Evan invented a high-pressure steam engine in 1804 that powered sawmills, flour mills, printing
presses, ships, and more. Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper in 1831 and John
Deere invented the steel plow shortly after in 1837. In 1859, the oil industry skyrocketed almost
overnight. America’s first energy revolution fueled the rise of a global economic power, which
offered light, power, and mobility to hundreds of millions of people who had never before
witnessed it and would create more than ten million jobs across the United States.14
7 Restad, Hilde Eliassen. American Exceptionalism: An Idea That Made a Nation and Remade the World.
London: Routledge, 2014. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9780203485439.
8 “American.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 26, 2020. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/American.
9 “Exceptionalism.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 26, 2020.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exceptionalism.
10 Craiutu, Aurelian, and Jennings, Jeremy, eds. Tocqueville on America after 1840: Letters and Other
Writings. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Accessed February 27, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.
11 Gingrich, N., & Haley, V. (2011). A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters.
Washington: Regnery, 32.
12 “The Rise of American Industry.” ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Accessed February 27,
2020. https://www.ushistory.org/us/25.asp.
13 Ibid.
14 Jindal, Bobby. American Will the Forgotten Choices That Changed Our Republic. New York: Threshold
Editions, 2015, 69-70.
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As American industries began to grow and contributed much to what shaped the Western
world, many onlookers began to notice the industrious spirit possessed by Americans was
different than in other nations. As Henry Adams explained:
The American stimulant increased in energy as it reached the lowest and most ignorant
class, dragging and whirling them upward as in the blast of a furnace. The penniless and
homeless Scotch or Irish immigrant was caught and consumed by it; for every stroke of
the axe and the hoe made him a capitalist, and made gentlemen of his children … The
instinct of activity, once created, seemed heritable and permanent in the race.15
Tocqeville and many other European visitors observed that daily hard work was not merely the
basis of Americans’ happiness, but it was also the foundation of America’s greatness. “It is the
very soul of an American,” Tocqueville explains, “He pursues it, not as a means of procuring for
himself and his family the necessary comforts of life, but as the fountain of all human felicity.”16
Industriousness came to be uniquely associated with American culture at the time not only
because of the booming industries, but also because of the people whose eyewitness accounts are
still remembered today.
Effects on American Exceptionalism
When industriousness is pursued in the spirit of virtue and with a desire for honest, hard
work, American exceptionalism is greatly benefitted. According to Michael Obermayer, a
German who migrated to America after the close of World War II, America possesses an
industrious spirit that is different from Germany and all other nations. “While other countries
15 Murray, “The Elements of American Exceptionalism” in American Exceptionalism.
16 Ibid.
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also work hard,” Obermayer explains, “America’s combination of industriousness and the desire
to create a free, better future for generations to come is what makes America’s success unique.”17
Laziness leads to poverty,18 but those with diligent hands will rule.19 When Americans are
industrious with a drive to succeed, families thrive.20 Citizens use their equal opportunity and
personal freedoms to celebrate individual diversity and empower innovation.21 Even the lowest
and most ignorant classes are driven upwards.22 Americans become self-reliant, hard-working
people, striving to create a better life for themselves and their children.23
Although American exceptionalism profits when people are industrious from a place of
value, industriousness can also damage American exceptionalism when the people pursue it from
an attitude of vice. Obermayer warns, “Industriousness can result in a thriving nation, but when
success is sought after with evil and greedy intentions, it will bring a nation to ruin—just as I
witnessed firsthand in my homeland.” The Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all
evil.24 This caution is echoed by Eric Metaxas, who states, “[Greed] is not only evil and morally
wrong, it will in the end lead to the debasement and destruction of the free market”.25
Industriousness, depending on the people, can be a benefit or a detriment to American
exceptionalism.
17 Obermayer, Michael (German Immigrant), interviewed by Audrey Boyette, Charlottesville, VA, 2017.
18 Proverbs 6:10-12, KJV.
19 Proverbs 12:23, KJV.
20 Ryan, Jim,Jr. "Encourage Industriousness." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Oct 22, 2014. 11,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1614872415?
accountid=12085.
21 Pandelidis, Nick. "Nick Pandelidis: American Exceptionalism." York Daily Record, Nov 02, 2012. ,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1125406598?
accountid=12085.
22 Murray, “The Elements of American Exceptionalism” in American Exceptionalism.
23 Ibid.
24 I Timothy 6:10, KJV.
25 Metaxas, If You Can Keep It, 42.
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As the Founding Fathers of America understood, being good, moral, and selfless is
necessary for America’s democratic self-government to work properly over a long period of
time.26 The U.S. government and Constitution cannot force anyone to do good or to be selfless,
nor can any amount of laws and regulations solve this problem. Individuals must first govern
themselves, holding fast to the set of ideas that are responsible for creating America’s success:
faith, virtue, and freedom.27 Metaxas warns, “The greater the role the government plays, the more
it crowds out the culture’s role, the role of the people—and the true freedom of the people.”28
Self-government is not only vital due to the negative effects industriousness can have on
American exceptionalism, but also because, when the culture attends these things less, the
government will attend them more and there will be less freedom for all Americans.
Industriousness in Modern-day America
Over the last half century, the value of industriousness has steadily declined in America.
As they turned their interests towards security, materialism, and minimum-commitment thinking,
American citizens have largely forsaken an energetic, purpose-driven pursuit of value.29 The
percentage of Americans receiving disability benefits in 1960 was just 0.7%. With the thriving
technology industry, modern-day America possesses a much wider range in job opportunities
that, by all means, should enable more disable citizens to enter the work force than in 1960.
However, the number of disabled Americans receiving aid reached 5.3% in 2010.30 Eighty-one
percent of homes in 1960 had at least one member of the household working fulltime, but this
figure made a drastic drop to 53% in 2010.31 People are more likely to watch excess television,
26 Ibid, 43.
27 Ibid, 38, 51-68.
28 Ibid, 44.
29 Murray, Charles. Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. New York: Crown Publishing,
2012, 12.
30 Ibid, 175.
31 Ibid, 176.
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smoke, develop obesity, or commit crimes and they are less likely to vote in elections.32 America
is losing the value of industriousness at a disturbing rate.
As Metaxas explains, this decline of industriousness and the idea of American
exceptionalism is a result of the forgotten need to continually fight for the freedom promise of
the United States of America.33 Americans are trusted “keepers of the flame,” which is passed
from one generation to the next. This flame must be guarded vigilantly, because once it goes out,
it is out forever.34 This protection of this promise of freedom is not only vital for Americans, but
it is also necessary for other nations: “We are a nation with a mission beyond ourselves and
beyond our borders.”35 Metaxas urges “[This] promise must continue to be fulfilled, by you and
by me and by everyone and anyone who wishes to be a part of this beautiful and noble
experiment in history.”36
Conclusion
Throughout United States history, the trait of industriousness has played a large role in
making America exceptional. From the settlers of Jamestown to the rise of the oil industry in
1859, the nation has continually been shaped by the hard work and industrious spirits of
Americans. The industrious spirit was showcased by the lives of many Americans, but the spirit
was truly confirmed as immigrants from all nations began to acknowledge and embrace the same
industrious attitude. In the face of the reality that industriousness and the belief in American
exceptionalism are declining, American individuals must diligently fight to preserve the freedom
promise of the great United States of America.
32 Michael, George. "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010." The Journal of Social,
Political, and Economic Studies 37, no. 2 (Summer, 2012): 265-268, http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?
url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1024553914?accountid=12085.
33 Metaxas, If You Can Keep It, 42.
34 Ibid, 13.
35 Ibid, 21.
36 Ibid, 253.
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Bibliography
10
Craiutu, Aurelian, and Jennings, Jeremy, eds. Tocqueville on America after 1840: Letters and
Other Writings. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Accessed February 27,
2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.
“Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America's Most-Trusted Online Dictionary.” Merriam-
Webster. Merriam-Webster. Accessed February 26, 2020. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/.
Gingrich, N., & Haley, V. (2011). A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism
Matters. Washington: Regnery.
Jindal, Bobby. American Will the Forgotten Choices That Changed Our Republic. New York:
Threshold Editions, 2015.
Metaxas, E. (2017). If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty. New York:
Penguin Books.
Michael, George. "Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010." The Journal of
Social, Political, and Economic Studies 37, no. 2 (Summer, 2012): 265-268,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1024553914?accountid=12085.
Murray, Charles A. American Exceptionalism: An Experiment in History. Washington, D.C.: AEI
Press, 2013.
Murray, Charles A. Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. 1st ed. New York,
N.Y: Crown Forum, 2012.
Obermayer, Michael (German Immigrant), interviewed by Audrey Boyette, Charlottesville, VA,
2017.
11
Pandelidis, Nick. "Nick Pandelidis: American Exceptionalism." York Daily Record, Nov 02,
2012. , http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1125406598?accountid=12085.
Restad, Hilde Eliassen. American Exceptionalism: An Idea That Made a Nation and Remade the
World. London: Routledge, 2014. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9780203485439.
Ryan, Jim,Jr. "Encourage Industriousness." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Oct 22, 2014.
11, http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1614872415?accountid=12085.
“The Rise of American Industry.” ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Accessed
February 27, 2020. https://www.ushistory.org/us/25.asp.
