StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
His fellow magistrate Gustave de Beaumont accompanied him, and their purpose of visit was to learn the American jail systems (Tocqueville, n.d). Consequently, in their…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.7% of users find it useful
Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America"

Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville was a young aristocratic lawyer born in France and visited the United States in 1831. His fellow magistrate Gustave de Beaumont accompanied him, and their purpose of visit was to learn the American jail systems (Tocqueville, n.d). Consequently, in their nine-month visit they conducted many inquiries and interviews with more than200 people on American social practices, law, and politics (Tocqueville, n.d). Moreover, after Tocqueville returned to France, he read a couple of documents that reflected on his trip and revealed in Western World there was a democratic revolution that was going on.

Furthermore, concerning Democracy in America, Tocqueville had vivid impressions on the equality of conditions that he saw in the United States. He described the dangers posed to liberty that is inherent in the majority rule, political consequences of the widespread property ownership, the influence of the judiciary and press in American politics. He also noted the importance of civil societies in an individualistic culture that was dominated by the self-interest, role of religion in the American society and the difference between the southern and the northern states (Tocqueville, n.d).The democratic impression that that Tocqueville had in mind is that “men will be perfectly free, because they will be equal, and they will be perfectly equal because they will be free” (Tocqueville, n.d. p.1). However, he warned that the American people’s passion of equality and liberty are unequal.

In this phenomenon, the American people wanted equality in liberty and if they could not get it; they were ready to get it even if they are still in slavery.In conclusion, the visit of Tocqueville to the United States in1831 and his subsequent inquiries and interviews reveals the democracy of America during that time. In his manuscripts, he revealed the great democratic revolution that was going on in the Western World. He revealed that a democracy makes people equal, and free. However, he warned that the liberty could not be equated to equality (Tocqueville, n.d). Additionally, he pointed out that if the American people could not get their equality in liberty they were ready to get it even if in slavery.

ReferenceTocqueville, A. (n.d). Democracy in America. The Library of America. Retrieved on 14th Nov 2014 from http://www.loa.org/volume.jsp?RequestID=202.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1666010-alexis-de-tocqueville-and-democracy-in-america
(Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America Essay)
https://studentshare.org/social-science/1666010-alexis-de-tocqueville-and-democracy-in-america.
“Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1666010-alexis-de-tocqueville-and-democracy-in-america.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Alexis De Tocqueville and Democracy in America

The Legacy of French Visitors to America

alexis de tocqueville and American Intellectuals: From His Times to Ours.... In the subsequent pages we will scrutinize Tocqueville immense work and democracy in US and note the significant alteration in religious life that Tocqueville experimented under way in premature nineteenth century United States of America and which still bears great weightage to this day.... (Mancini, Matthew J, 2006) alexis de tocqueville, a Roman catholic of French origin, belonging to a royal family, came to the US at the age of twenty six....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Voting in the United States

He further argued that democracy could be endangered if the masses of a country quit taking part in voting.... The power of magical thinking forces such as individuals to participate in voting in order to evoke other individuals to do the same so that democracy can flourish (Howe 140).... This statement supports tocqueville's idea that self-interest plays a chief role in conjuring up the desire for voting....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Tocquevilles Concept of Social Reciprocity in the Democratic Age

In democracy in america, he vividly describes the unprecedented "equality of conditions" found in the United States and explores its implications for society (specifically, aristocratic European society) in the emerging modern era. Tocqueville believed that to thrive within democracy, polities require citizens who are highly participatory, who are engaged civically, and who have formed close bonds with one another.... In the early nineteenth century, alexis de tocqueville, a liberal whose deepest commitment was to human freedom, believed that political democracy and social equality would, inevitably, replace the aristocratic institutions of Europe....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Why You Cannot Understand Modern Society Without Understanding Religion

alexis de tocqueville and Max Weber are considered most approved scholars and authority on modern society and democracy.... hellip; alexis de tocqueville and Max Weber are considered most approved scholars and authority on modern society and democracy.... eber seems a little pessimist when he says that capitalism has reached it extreme height in america and perhaps it is its last stage.... Weber was a keen observer; he saw great contrast between the socially isolated Church of Europe and socially integrated church of america....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Democracy in America 1835, 1840

His fascination for and study of American society gave birth to the book democracy in america.... … In the paper “democracy in america 1835, 1840” the author answers the question: What role does the concept of equality play, as Tocqueville thought, in politics in American life, with regards to social class, race, and gender?... His fascination for and study of American society gave birth to the book democracy in america.... alexis de tocqueville saw in 19th Century American society the ideal which he wanted for his fatherland, France....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Women in America

The essay "Women in america" deals with a comparative study of the similarities and differences in the works of Friedan and Goldman.... However, the compare them to the opinions recorded by DeTocqueville on gender relations in america and Europe.... hellip; Friedan's work became popular especially in the mid-twentieth century among women, as it became identified with the feelings of many middle-class, non-working, 'progressive' women in the post-war period....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Is Democracy an Antidote to Revolution for Tocqueville

It accounts for the freedom of the people to vote through elections whoever they see best suits being their leader, thus, democracy has become synonymous with the… As is often said, democracy provides for the citizens of a nation to be able to express themselves through elections, not always attaining what they want but obtaining what they as a people deserve. Revolution is something that should not be The difference between the revolution in France and the American Revolution marks its way in the book “democracy in america” that Alexis De Tocqueville has written has written as a commentary about the young nation of migrants with its hodgepodge of races and people but was still able to harmonize and assimilate democracy through its definite leadership and concrete adherence to the ideals unlike the monarchical affinities that was still common in Europe....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Why the americans understand the equality of the sexes

democracy in america.... in america, women are considered much more inferior to men.... in america, women are considered much more inferior to men.... They would give to both the Why the Americans understand the equality of the sexes Introduction According to de tocqueville, Americans and Europeans attitude in relation to women are considerably different (5).... orks cited:de tocqueville, Alexis.... New York: Library of america, 2004....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us