American exceptionalism' doesn't mean what most people think

America and Americans used to be known for their exceptional character, noted by famous French justice official Alexis de Tocqueville in his work "Democracy in America." WallBuilders' David and Tim Barton joined Glenn Beck in "The Vault" today with his daughter Mary Cate and Matt Hayes to present the evidence for American exceptionalism.

Tocqeuville came to the United States specifically to see what made America different. Over 40,000 people were put to death in France, but the state of New York had only eight murders over a 16 year period.

This was in part due to the efforts of Christians Joseph Story and James Kent, fathers of American jurisprudence. Kent was in charge of the entire New York judicial system during those 16 years, overseeing 1755 cases.

The concept of “American exceptionalism” comes from Tocqueville’s book and his observations of the justice system. People "had character back then," David said. Although Europe was religious, faith “didn’t get down to the individual person.”

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