Famous French historian Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” (qtd. in Carson 651.) In “Recovering America’s Exceptionalism,” Ben Carson explains how we are losing touch with the values that once made America a great country. These include decency, honesty, compassion, and fairness. He explains that in order to avoid devastation we must remember these values when making decisions about our future. I would agree that all hope is not lost, but we will have to embrace the values that America was originally founded upon to achieve greatness once again.
To understand Carson’s point of view, we must first understand what it means to be a good country and how the values he mentioned are key to our success. We must understand our past to guide our future. Since those values are based on the Judeo-Christian religion, it is essential that we find a way to co-exist while maintaining the religious freedoms we
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The word good is an adjective which means to be desired or approved of. There once was a time that everyone wanted to be an American. People from all over the world desired to come to the land of the free and pursue their dreams. Now it seems as if many people would do anything they can to get away from the corruption and chaos that has plagued our nation. America is not an object, it is a living breathing organism composed of billions of people. In order for America to be good, our people must also be good. You cannot build a great country without a solid foundation. If someone was judging your character they would look at how honest you are, how much integrity you have, and how you treat other people regardless of what they can do for you. When people from other countries look at Americans do we want them to see money hungry bullies who only care about themselves or kind and compassionate people who they might aspire to