Exceptional? [Thoughts on Patriotism & US History]

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." --Thomas Jefferson with John Adams & Ben Franklin; Opening lines to the 2nd Paragraph of the Declaration of Independence; July 1776

     

   This is an opinion piece.  However, I believe I have some education and life history that give my opinions some weight.
     American "exceptionalism" contains the idea that we are an "exception" to the way history has played out for other nations.  While I agree that we have wonderful founding documents, we are still a nation comprised of flawed human beings.
What's the point in arguing about the term "American exceptionalism?" We're a nation of imperfect people, founded on some amazing ideas of a democratic republic, enshrined in our Constitution. 

    We've done some very noteworthy things; we've done some things that were stupid and even cruel. Accepting all these facets doesn't make us [1] less American, nor [2] less willing to accept or work on problematic parts of our past. 

   Can we unify on this, too?   --Marie Byars