Alexis de Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville was a French diplomat who wrote Democracy in America. The book was published in two volumes (one in 1835 and the second in 1840), and it is mainly about the development of democracy in the United States. Quotes from this book appear quite often in the textbook, and on chapter had a section on Tocqueville. He originally traveled to the United States to observe its prison system. H also studied American society and politics, which led to the creation of this widely influential book.

Tocqueville was born in France in 1805, during the Napoleonic era. In 1831, he came to America to study the penal system. He traveled around the United States for nine months by steamboat, canoe, and horse. In his travels, Tocqueville interviewed prisoners, talked with President Andrew Jackson, and observed the political and social systems of the United States. De La Démocratie en Amérique, as his book is called in French, mostly focused on the idea of equality. He admired much of what he saw in his observations and called America the "most advanced example of equality in action" (https://www.history.com/topics/france/alexis-de-tocqueville). Ironically, he also pointed out that the treatment of slaves was terrible and was a clear sign of inequality. He recognized the mistreatment of slaves while still calling America an "image of democracy itself."

Along with equality, Tocqueville emphasizes the concept of individualism in his works. With democracy came an increased sense of personal freedom and choices. This, to Tocqueville, could create the problem of the "tyranny of the majority," which limits personal liberties. The "tyranny of the majority" was one of the major threats to democracy. Thus, Tocqueville thought about ways to fix these dangers, and pointed to religion. Religion was a unifying factor in American society. People came together and worshiped, which fostered togetherness. Tocqueville references John Winthrop's ideas and writes that with religion, people are able to have "moral liberty" that prevents some threats to democracy.

Tocqueville's works have an undeniable impact on the ideas of democracy. Having an outsider opinion on American culture and politics allowed him to give a less biased view of the United States. He also brought back new ideas about equality and liberalism to Europe. However, Tocqueville visited America during the time of Andrew Jackson, which was often described as a "white man's democracy." Equality expanded for white men to the point where 90% could vote (and were classified as citizens). Yet women were increasingly tied to the home (in the "cult of domesticity") and were excluded from the public sphere. Native Americans were expelled with the Removal Acts and the Trail of Tears. The rights of free blacks were limited due to Jackson's strong support of slavery. The time Tocqueville came to the United States was hardly democratic when looking at these other groups of society. Still, Tocqueville viewed America as a place of equality. His works ultimately influenced discussions about the American political system and how it can create and stop acts of tyranny. Today, some politicians read and praise Tocqueville's works. However, Democracy in America was written during a time where democracy was limited for many. The equality he wrote about is very different than what we have today. Despite Tocqueville's true and insightful observations, his works do not represent today's America very well because of the expansion of equality that has occurred over the last two centuries. He did provide helpful observations about equality which increased ideas about liberalism in the United States and Europe. Still, politicians should realize that his works mostly praised America's limited democracy before quoting them.

Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/france/alexis-de-tocqueville
https://thegreatthinkers.org/tocqueville/introduction/
https://www.history.com/news/andrew-jackson-presidency-controversial-legacy