The United States and the Need for an Improved Global Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century: How History Shaped Our Identity as a Nation

Authors

Karin Mika, Cleveland State University College of LawFollow

Abstract

This Article describes how accidents of geography and history enabled the United States to become the global power that it has become. It examines how the extended warring in Europe during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth century allowed the United States to develop as a country without the repeated necessity of continually rebuilding, as was happening in Europe. The Article explores how the isolation of the United States enabled it to develop continuity in its initially experimental political system—a continuity that was never available to Europe. These factors enabled the United States to be in the position of being able to achieve global status and dominance during and after the Second World War. This Article argues that many in the United States now feel a sense of superiority that is more “God given” than earned. Most are unfamiliar with the history that led to the United States becoming a world leader and thus often feel superior to other countries in the world. This Article concludes that there must be a cultural shift in the United States that recognizes the need to be a global citizen, or the United States faces deterioration as a global power.

Recommended Citation

Karin Mika, The United States and the Need for an Improved Global Citizenship in the Twenty-First Century: How History Shaped Our Identity as a Nation, 72 Clev. St. L. Rev. 25 (2023)
available at https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/clevstlrev/vol72/iss1/6