The United States is what is called a "proposition nation", which means that it didn't grow organically like other countries, but came into being overnight (well, not overnight, but it was created from scratch, out of nothing). This has positive and negative connotations. The recent inflow of huge numbers of non-Americans will change America completely, but it is hard to argue against inward migration as that is how America came into being. It's an interesting situation.
I'm not sure that the US really IS that different from other countries to be honest. All countries have their set values and a way of life that the people try to stick to, and that's no different in the US than what it is in the UK for example.
We have a lot more "freedoms". Though they're trying to get taken away all the time, generally we have a ton more freedoms than a lot of other countries.
I'm doing a course in American Government (edX) and they state the difference is individualism, where people can be a poor farmer and become President, or a movie star. That's the difference that it doesn't matter where you come from you can be someone or something. Beside liberties and freedoms that are enjoyed, the US straddles tradition and pride and the most quoted thing is 'free speech'. These days things are changing, and although people make a career out of protesting for rights, the Americans have more freedoms than most countries in the world and they don't know it. The use of the Constitution is what makes it different as people constantly refer to it to backup their actions, behaviors and rights.
I think what makes US or the people from there unique is their independence. For instance, at the age of 18 years old, one can move out of the house and live separately from the parents. But here in our country, some choose to stay at the parent's house even if they are already old enough to separate or even have families of their own. Why? Well, there's that dependency issue and then there's that financial issue. Whereas in America, people are so independent and willing to take risks. And I think that makes them unique from Asians.
America is the biggest military industrial complex and imperial nation in the world, inhabiting more countries with bases than anyone else in any other region. America was a source of European immigration, bringing the best of Europe originally to build what you knew and saw to be America. That America is slowly dying and turning into a slum, however. It is being ruined by invaders who call themselves migrants, who bring only the problems and troubles they have to America to destroy it and turn it into the same dark places they are trying to escape from instead of bringing their contributions to it, while leaving their troubles at the door. They want the benefits of what white people made for them, and think that they can have it on a sinking ship while they destroy the heritage and culture of white people in the process. You get what you pay for, even in that. And if you think that ship won't sink...just watch it go down and wonder why.
This is too general question. Unique in good or bad way? Whatever I say and whatever my opinion is I will get the reaction that will confirm it so I am not really going to say a lot about that but among common people you have too many of those who are not aware that there is actually the rest of the world and that America is not the centre of everything. it is also unique because of the role they have in producing "peace" in world. Actually all they do is colonizing and taking raw materials and claiming they help while they provide guns to poor souls to kill each other. They are unique for being a world tyrant.
What makes America unique? You mean apart from having 1.2 guns per people and massive hamburgers? Nothing! The USA became what it is today mostly due to its military might and the vast immigrant population, pursuing the American Dream of more money = more power. From the beginning, USA has peddled the idea of 'freedom'. That attracted everybody, from great artists to brilliant scientists that left their home countries with suppressive regimes to come to the land of the 'free'. Though as with all things, the US was certainly not as 'free' as it was advertised, it was better than their homeland's condition, especially in the World War era. And it was this population, which poured out its everything into the country is what made The US what it is today.
The biggest difference between the USA and other nations may be summed up in our constitution, wherein it states that all men are created equal, and are born with equal rights given by our creator. We then create a government which WE THE PEOPLE empower with certain authority. We can change, add to, or eliminate this "authority" at any time, by an action of the people, through our legislative branch of government. So, in other words, the people hold ALL the power, and government only has the power given to it by the people. In nearly all other countries the government is supreme, and individual rights are given by the government.
