The Federalist Papers Lesson Plan

When John Jay says in Federalist Paper #2 that the American nation was built by "the design of Providence", is he showing a kind of American exceptionalism? Why or why not?

A number of students may be skeptical of the notion that what John Jay is saying has anything to do with American exceptionalism. Those who are a bit more advanced in their historical studies, for example may think that John Jay is laying claim to something very different here: the Whig view of history, which was very popular during the 19th century but faded from prominence afterward. This view of history posits history as inherently progressive—as a kind of linear movement that shifts societies...