Democracy in America
Also known as De la démocratie en Amérique
Alexis de Tocqueville's study of American democracy, in two volumes (1835 and 1840).
At a glance
Key ideas
The Puritan seed, Mores over laws, Tyranny of the majority …
See all 5Reception
Harvey C. Mansfield, Predictions
See all 2Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Tocqueville examines a democratic revolution toward equality that he believed had been under way for several hundred years.
- He asks why representative democracy succeeded in the United States while failing in many other places, France included.
- He credits the Puritan founding, township democracy, religion separated from the state, and the habits of mind of Americans.
- He warns of the tyranny of the majority, soft despotism and isolated individuals.
Why it matters
- By the twentieth century it had become a classic of political science, social science and history, and it is a common assigned reading in American and British universities.
Key facts
- Author
- Alexis de Tocqueville1
- Published
- Paris, in two volumes: the first in 1835, the second in 18401
- Origin
- A nine-month journey through the United States from May 1831 with Gustave de Beaumont, sent by the French government to study prisons1
- English translations
- Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop (University of Chicago Press, 2000); Arthur Goldhammer, ed. Olivier Zunz (Library of America, 2004)2
Key ideas
-
The Puritan seed1
Puritans arrived as middle-class equals and joined religion to political liberty; he calls this the "seed" of the work.
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Mores over laws1
The habits of mind of Americans protect freedom more than the Constitution itself.
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Tyranny of the majority1
Democracy risks the majority's tyranny over thought.
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Soft despotism1
Democracy has a tendency to degenerate into "soft despotism".
-
Religion and the state1
Religion was strong in America because it was separate from government, unlike in France.
Reception
Connections
Written by
Links
Sources
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