Alexis De Tocqueville Democracy In America

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat and adventurer who spent nine months traveling America during 1831. He wrote a book “Democracy in America” about his adventure and experiences in America. He was a well educated European who spoke to many important figures of the time and this helped to develop very good insight about current American culture. Some of his adventures include steamboat, visited the Eastern cities, stayed in a log cabin, and even explored the northwestern frontier. He wrote this book for the French audience, and was hoping to better explain what democracy was so it could help France transition into a democracy. He believed that Democracy was the way of the future, and he was a strong supporter of Democracy. His book

Tocqueville further argues that unlike “aristocracy (that) links everybody, from peasant to king, in one long chain. Democracy breaks the chain and frees each link…men have gained or kept enough wealth and enough understanding to look after their own needs. Such folk owe no man anything and hardly expect anything from anybody” (Tocqueville, 2006, p. 508). The chain that exists in aristocracy no longer exists in democracy for individuals earn their own keep and does not need to rely on others. Thus, with democracy, individuals in capitalist society are independent and equal in social and economic

The state of American politics is clearly unique, given its early focus on democracy in a world of monarchical and aristocratic governments. As it was a seemingly ideal government, it had its shortcomings, as Kammen describes. Tocqueville, on the other hand, argues for the positive side of American politics, that the lack of superiority eventually contributed to the democratic republic that the United States eventually became.

Now, there is nothing in the world but patriotism or religion that can make the universality of citizens advance for long toward the same goal” (Tocqueville p.146). Tocqueville believes that religion helps people develop more civic virtue. When people are faithful in their religion, they are better people because they hold themselves accountable to God. Tocqueville believes that if people in America all practice some sort of religion, it will bring us all together. Tocqueville believed that if people in America were to stop being religious, it would negatively impact democracy in many

Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century prompted his work Democracy in America, in which he expressed the ability to make democracy work. Throughout his travels Tocqueville noted that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans, which in turn cultivated a strong sense of individualism. Tocqueville believed that this individualism would soon "sap the virtue of public life" (395) and create a despotism of selfishness. This growth of despotism would be created by citizens becoming too individualistic, and therefore not bothering to fulfill their civic duties or exercise their freedom. Tocqueville feared that the political order of America would soon become

Democratic societies view fathers as equals to their sons. The father limits the freedoms of his son for a short time period, then willingly releases his authority once the child reaches adulthood. The son readily accepts his newfound freedom. Though all democratic men follow their own paths, only some aristocratic men are leaders, while others readily follow. In an aristocracy, sons lack an identity that is separate from their fathers. But, the democratic government merely perceives the father as an older and wiser citizen, in comparison to his sons (559). In this form of government, “mores” unite all men and the “general notion of a superior becomes weaker and less clear” (560). The head of the aristocratic family has a much more extensive and respected power than a democratic father. Tradition and ancestry play a larger role in determining the actions and beliefs of an aristocratic society. Aristocratic sons show immense respect for their ancestors and seek to continue the path that history has laid for them. The father’s link to the family’s ancestry allows him to serve as the family’s “organ of tradition”, which causes the son to both respect and rely on his father’s guidance (560). In contrast, democratic sons allow the past to inspire, not completely guide their futures. Democratic sons are typically not reluctant to go against tradition. As a

Democracy in America has been a guiding principle since the foundation of the country. Many over the years have commented on the structure and formation of democracy but more importantly the implementation and daily function within the democratic parameters that have been set. Alexis de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian born July 29, 1805. He is most famously known for his work Democracy in America. Democracy in America has been an evolving social and economic reform, and has continually changed since it’s founding.

According to Tocqueville, the American social condition is eminently democratic, ultimately paving the way for the United States to become a society of equality. He interprets the topic of equality to be a negative element of democracy, as it has the tendency to deter individuals, who in a more aristocratic society, would become outstanding individuals, from reaching their highest potential. Although saddened by this fact, Tocqueville quickly notes that this is unfortunately inevitable. He introduces a new concept that arises from times of equality, individualism. Tocqueville defines individualism as, “a reflective and quiet sentiment that inclines each individual to distance himself from a crowd of peers and to draw apart with his own family and friends; in this way, he builds his own private world, willingly leaving the larger world to itself.” He warns of the dangers associated with individualism and how individualism can eventually merge into what he refers to as egoism. The autobiographies included in First Person Past emphasize the results of these individualistic motives through the lives of

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville includes Tocqueville’s observations on what American society and culture was like during the 1830’s. Throughout his analysis of America, he draws many outlandish and interesting conclusions regarding what life was like during this time period. For example, in Chapter 18, Tocqueville remarks that citizens in democratic societies are independent, which makes them weak and subsequently uninfluential in society. He goes on to say that in order to combat this, associations must be established to combat individualism and to circulate new thoughts and ideas. All in all, Tocqueville’s claim is certainly valid, but only up to a certain point because there were a select few of individuals that were able to make an influence on society without the help from any associations.

The early 1800’s was a time of democratic expansion within the States as they began to eliminate property qualifications necessary to vote. Although the idea of decreasing qualifications needed to vote seemed like a step forward towards democracy, it took two steps back because of its racist and sexist specificity denying women and minorities voting rights. A democracy is a government system intended to be ran by the whole population or by their representatives, not one that discriminates against minorities and women by denying their right to vote and be fairly represented in that government system. Cracks in the foundation of the United States’ democracy is foreseeable in the early 1800’s due to this discrimination of women and minorities, like the Civil War, the

To achieve the prosperity from democracy, for everyone to have an equal say in both political and social ways, there must be a class structure that is equal as well. This is well put in Painter’s novel, “…With most of his fellow citizens, the President believed that the health of the American democracy depended on a fluid class structure, and his own preferred means of discouraging the accumulation of large fortunes was the reduction of protective tariffs. ”(Painter 74). It’s true that when class distribution is uneven democracy starts to erode, because when the rich keep getting richer, they get more powerful and the poor who keep getting poor, lose power and there say in political

Tocqueville’s Democracy in America arose out of the desire to understand the underlying reasons behind the difference between French and American democracies. While both societies have had moved towards democracy, New England, which Tocqueville defines as America, seems to be much more successful in organising a stable democratic society. As such, Democracy in America was written with the motive of mapping out how American society was

Tocqueville’s argument that there is an unreconciled tension between liberty and equality is relatively simple to grasp—the exercise of freedom can ultimately distribute wealth, opportunities, and goods in unequal ways; and vice versa, maintaining equality over time among people can ultimately come to having to limit the freedom of others by redistributing the same wealth, opportunities, and goods. One critical manifestation of this tension between liberty and equality is what Tocqueville calls the “tyranny” or “despotism of the majority.” If all men are equal, then no one person or group of people can rule over any other person or people, meaning that the only choice Americans have is to live according to the will of the largest number of people—tyranny of the majority becomes a harsh reality when that power goes unchecked. While it seems that if “equality” in its most perfect sense were what was being used as a measure, minority opinion could certainly be taken into account to the same degree as the opinion of any other group of people; however, this

Alexis de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805, in Paris, France. He was a historian, political scientist, and a politician, but he is best known as the author of Democracy in America. He began his political career as an apprentice magistrate, a role he was easily able to enter into due to his father’s role in French government. In the role of apprentice magistrate, Tocqueville witnessed the constitutional upheaval between the conservatives and liberals in France. With the inevitable decline of the aristocratic privilege on the horizon, he began to study the English political development. For Tocqueville, the July Revolution of 1830 and the resulting kingship of Louis Philippe of Orleans helped

This would change with the election of General Andrew Jackson, and thus commencing the Era of the Common Man in which the commoners in the United States gained extensive political power through enfranchisement. Andrew Jackson's humble beginnings and policies to expand the franchise to include all men regardless of property requisites epitomized the common man’s victory over the privileged aristocrats who prevailed in politics during the nation's beginning era. During Andrew Jackson's presidency, a Frenchman named Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to the developing country to “gain knowledge of the American political development...which he had hoped to use in order to influence France's [own] political development” following their own revolution (“Biography”). Recalling his observations and studies of the political system and society in the United States, Alexis published Democracy in America, an extremely optimistic account of the democracy branded by the American constituency. In Democracy in America, Alexis described and coined concepts that would become inherent to the American creed as well as the ideals of Occupy Wall Street today, such as the concept of American Exceptionalism and the American Dream. During his