American way

The American way of life, also referred to as American way is a nationalist ethos that adheres to the principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At the core of the American way lies a belief in the American Dream, an ideal that is believed to be achievable by any American citizen through hard work and determination. This concept is closely linked to the notion of American exceptionalism, which posits the existence of a distinctive cultural identity of the United States.

Definition

File:THIS WAR IS PROVING THAT OUR AMERICAN WAY CAN OUT-PRODUCE, OUT-FIGHT AND OUT-LAST ANY OTHER SYSTEM IN THE WORLD. - NARA - 515808.jpg

A World War II-era American propaganda poster citing the American way as the source of American effectiveness in the war

American writer and intellectual William Herberg offers the following definition of the American way of life:

One commentator notes, "The first half of Herberg's statement still holds true nearly half a century after he first formulated it", even though "Herberg's latter claims have been severely if not completely undermined... materialism no longer needs to be justified in high-sounding terms".

In the National Archives and Records Administration's 1999 Annual Report, National Archivist John W. Carlin writes, "We are different because our government and our way of life are not based on the divine right of kings, the hereditary privileges of elites, or the enforcement of deference to dictators. They are based on pieces of paper, the Charters of Freedom - the Declaration that asserted our independence, the Constitution that created our government, and the Bill of Rights that established our liberties."

Sources

• William Herberg