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What is America? Is it a hegemonic superpower, composed of ruthlessly selfish capitalists? Or is it a land of hope and glory, a shelter for the huddled masses, and a beacon of freedom and enlightenment? The definition of this complex nation has been debated substantially, yet all seem to agree on one thing: it is unique. The idea of an exceptional America can be traced all the way back to Alexis de Tocqueville's nineteenth-century observations of a newly formed democracy that seemed determined to distinguish itself from the rest. Little, it seems, has changed.

Building on de Tocqueville's concept of American exceptionalism, this collection of essays, contributed by some of the nation's top scholars and thinkers, takes on the weighty task of sizing up America in a way its people and others can comprehend. Far more than simple history, they outline the current state of American institutions and policies—from the legal system to marriage to the military to the Drug War—and anticipate where these are headed in the future.

James Q. Wilson is the chairman of AEI's Council of Academic Advisers.

Peter H. Schuck is the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law at Yale Law School.

Contributors: Nelson W. Polsby on the political system; Donald F. Kettl on bureaucracy; Lawrence M. Friedman on the legal system; Benjamin M. Friedman on the economic system; Martha Derthick on federalism; Jack Citrin on political culture; S. Robert Lichter on the media; Martha Bayles on popular culture; Eliot Cohen on the military; Robert Wuthnow on religion; Linda J. Waite and Melissa J. K. Howe on the family; Peter H. Schuck on immigration; Orlando Patterson on black Americans; Paul E. Peterson on education; David Cutler and Patricia Keenan on health care; James Q. Wilson on criminal justice; Gary Burtless and Ron Haskins on inequality, economic mobility, and social policy; Arthur C. Brooks on philanthropy and the non-profit sector; Jonathan P. Caulkins and Mark A. R. Kleiman on drug policy; and Josef Joffe on how Europe sees America.

Praise for Understanding America

"An illuminating effort to explain America to the world—and to itself. The notion of American exceptionalism—the idea that America is different from the rest of the world—has long been a shibboleth among historians and a magnet for yahoos and jingoes. [The editors] restore it with the wise observation that America is at least unusual in its ability to be 'deeply divided, witlessly vulgar, religiously orthodox, militarily aggressive, economically savage, and ungenerous to those in need, while maintaining a political stability, a standard of living, and a love of country that is the envy of the world—all at the same time'...A nuanced, warts-and-all portrait that offers much to ponder in this election year and beyond."

—Kirkus, starred review

"This book is thick, but it does the work of about a dozen, maybe more. With its gold-standard contributors and well-chosen, authoritative essays, Understanding America captures more facets of our complicated country than I ever thought a single book could."

—Jonathan Rauch, senior writer, National Journal, and guest scholar, the Brookings Institution

"What makes America unique? Peter H. Schuck and James Q. Wilson have assembled a first-class group of experts to set out, for every aspect of American life from political culture to philanthropy, how America stands apart from other nations, for better or worse."

—Michael Barone, coauthor, The Almanac of American Politics, resident fellow, AEI