Perhaps the Civil War and its immediate aftermath shook the confidence of the nation temporarily. The British Empire was entering the height of its power and several European countries had foreign holdings of various sizes and types, particularly in northern, central, and western Africa. We, by contrast, had no imperial ambitions. As the century was drawing to a close, however, the US and Spain went to war. The American forces proved stronger and suddenly we were an imperial power, with holdings in the Caribbean (Cuba) and the Pacific (The Philippines). We also bought Alaska from Russia. An era of affluence and technological advance ensued and as a result we were feeling confident again but, it seems to me, not quite as cocky as before. Massive immigration and industrialization absorbed our attention and many people were busy building fortunes.
During the same period (after the Civil War and into the early 20th century) the US and Britain underwent a spiritual awakening which brought about a rapid growth of Christian denominations belonging to the more radical Reformation: Methodists, Baptists, and Pentecostals, among others. The Baptists, especially, were gripped by missionary fervor and began sending missionaries all over the world.
When the Great Depression hit in the 1930's, these churches became a source of strength, comfort, and support for many Americans. Being in need and not knowing for sure where the sustenance for the next day will come has a way of focusing one on the essentials of life. Ideology was set aside to make room for survival. The experience devastated some people but strengthened others. Those who lived off the land and were accustomed to self-reliance did well.
We did not come out of economic depression until the second World War forced the government to inject unprecedented amounts of money into the economy in order to build all the materiel that would be needed (guns, airplanes, ships, tanks, artillery, ammunition, uniforms, and so on) and to employ thousands upon thousands of Americans as soldiers, pilots, sailors, and all sorts of support staff. The war was unusual in that it was thrust on us, who did not really want it, and in that it had clear villains who had to be defeated in order to ensure the continued path of the country.
Through unprecedented tenacity and sacrifice and under horrible conditions, and largely single handed, the US fought the Japanese back westward across the Pacific, one island at a time. At the same time we had armies in Europe working in concert with Britain and France. The war was won on both fronts and the US emerged rich and strong. The factories switched from making the war machine to turning out consumer goods. They continued to employ workers to make that possible, therefore putting good money into the hands of millions of people who proceeded to spend it with alacrity. The country started into its period of greatest affluence for the largest number people, which lasted from the late forties into the late nineteen-sixties. We were the wonder of the world.
The believers in American exceptionalism returned in force. What could be clearer than our superiority to the rest of the world? Now we had huge numbers of Evangelicals who were eager to embrace the idea that God was on our side. Suddenly the Soviet Union, with its atheist ideology, rose up to counterbalance us and the fight began between "godless communism" and "godly free-market America," the favorite of God. Anyone who wished to express a more nuanced, considered, and analytic approach was considered dangerous (unbelieving and un-American) and effectively silenced.
Next: the effects of American strength coupled with the ideology of exceptionalism.
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