Claim: The concept of moral diplomacy is based on the idea of American exceptionalism, a term first coined by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat best known for his work Democracy in America, in 1831.
Evidence: French political scientist and historian Alexis de Tocqueville was the first writer to describe the country as "exceptional" in 1831 and 1840. He is best known for his works Democracy in America (appearing in two volumes, 1835 and 1840) and The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856). Many of Woodrow Wilson's ideas about moral diplomacy and America's role in the world come from American exceptionalism. Moral diplomacy is a form of diplomacy proposed by President Woodrow Wilson in his 1912 United States presidential election. This observation can be traced to Alexis de Tocqueville, the first writer to describe the United States as "exceptional" in 1831 and 1840. Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville (French: [alɛgzi də tɔkvil; 29 July 1805 – 16 April 1859), colloquially known as Tocqueville (/ˈtɒkvɪl, ˈtoʊk-/), was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political scientist, political philosopher and historian.