The Intellectual Construction of America

“[An] exceptional book.” — Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism

“Just as the debate over American exceptionalism seemed to reach its conclusion — or at least to reach a stalemate — Greene has asked us to refine the question. Was America exceptional? It all depends.” — American Historical Review

“Greene’s important book, in reminding us of the ways in which contemporaries identified America as an exceptional place promising opportunity unattainable in the Old World, has shifted the terms of debate for those who are interested in the relationship between colony and metropolis in the early modern period.” — Journal of Southern History

“This beautifully produced volume is topical, readable and provocative. It will fuel debate over which master narrative, if any, best explains American identity.” — American Studies

“This is a beautifully presented work, with well-chosen illustrations that are contemporary to the points being made in the text.” — Virginia Magazine of History and Biography

“Jack Greene has engaged two issues of great interest: American exceptionalism and the construction of national identity. The argument he offers is complex, subtle, and supported by vast documentation. This book will compel scholars to rethink the issue of exceptionalism and likely will give the idea new life.” — Richard L. Bushman, Columbia University

“In this provocative book, Jack Greene offers a fresh look at the much-contested question of American exceptionalism. Identifying the idea as much with Europeans as with Americans and concluding that neither group saw this exceptional state as exclusively American but rather as a model that could be emulated everywhere, Greene may well have introduced a significant change in the terms of the debate.” — Thad W. Tate, The College of William and Mary