Alexis De Tocqueville’s Democracy in America
delves deep into how the American States and the federal government would grow
politically and socially under the umbrella of democracy. He sees the United
States as a unique entity because of how and why it started as well as its
geographical location.
De Tocqueville explains that the foundations of the
democratic process in America are completely different from anywhere else on
the globe. The land was virginal and the colonies had almost complete sovereignty
from England from the very beginning because they were separated by an ocean
and financial troubles. The people who came to America were the oppressed
and unhappy in England and all were trying to find a place where they could
start anew and create a political structure that would facilitate an individual
freedom unlike anything that they had previously experienced in Europe. De
Tocqueville believed that the nature of democracy in the New World rested within
the fact that all of the emigrants were basically from the same social strata,
resulting in the first new country where there was no preliminary basis for
an aristocracy. "Land is the basis of an aristocracy…and… [in America] when
the ground was prepared, its produce was found to be insufficient to enrich
a proprietor and a farmer at the same t
ime(41)." He saw that even the soil
of America was opposed to the structure of an aristocracy.
There
were also outside influences lending unvoiced support for the creation of this
new democracy. Being an ocean apart from its mother country, who at this time
did not have the financial reserves to oversee its colonies, let the Americans
govern themselves. If they had not had this sovereignty at the beginning America
might have become something completely different than it is today, but that
was not the case, so these emigrants now had a fertile place to plant their
ideas of a country founded upon the many ideas of the Enlightenment. Another
large influence was the lack of neighbors. America had no ...
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...man
responsible for herself.
De Tocqueville has left no aspect of American society
out of his publication. He rips the American body open and examines all the
things that are inside right down to the bare bones. It is a little scary
to read of ones’ own nation and its culture. To realize that one’s own life
is not how he made it, but of how his ancestors have created society. Whether
it be as to how Americans view their politics, or their social afflictions,
de Tocqueville voices his opinions as to what is commendable, are conversely,
what is wrong with every aspect of America. He sees America through the eyes
of intelligent outsider who has no reason to make America sound anything
other
than it is. He has done a very thorough job, and his vision of nineteenth
century America will surely help lead America into the twenty-first century
with a better definition of itself.
and with his vast progressive ideals and clear foresight of the nation's path, he found remarkable
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.
In Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville explains the dangers of democracy and explains the virtues that temper these dangers. In this paper, I will look at two issues Tocqueville discussed extensively in late 19th century American democracy and posit what Tocqueville may say about these issues today. The points I will discuss are materialism and religion. In a democracy, such as America, the individual’s opportunity to succeed makes him more likely to become attached to material and money. However, in Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, this danger is tempered by religion, which quenches the lust for material by reducing its importance in comparison to good mores. These two elements of American democracy are a small portion of the “Habits of the hearts” of Americans; they are two ideas that complement each other to make democracy appealing and possible anywhere and everywhere. Is this the case today? Is the American’s relationship to materialism and religion similar today to what it was when Tocqueville visited America?
America is a country whose emergence is contributed to many sources. More specifically, the American form of Democracy stretch back beyond the formation of the United States, having origin in ancient Greek thinking, the Enlightenment, as well as the English and their injustice, The United States owes its birth as a country to many areas of influence.
had the most influential writings. He felt that that the government should serve the people. It
When referring to classical antiquity period, most think of Greece and Rome dominating and flourishing in the areas of philosophy, sciences, mathematics and literature. One other admirable achievement, the establishment of early forms of democracy, came from this time period and should not be overlooked as it is the historical basis of our government today. The Founding Fathers of the United States were influenced by Greek and Roman concepts in law, government structure, and even philosophy. Concepts described in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States can be traced back historically to the classical antiquity period, and show that the United States government and law were modeled after those of Greece and Rome.
Democracy developed in Colonial America from 1607, at the founding of Jamestown, up to 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Democracy is defined as a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. Ideas from documents created in England, such as the Bill of Rights, were brought over to the colonies. These ideas were implemented into the society of the colonists. The colonists also created their own democratic documents and ideas. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut was the first written constitution in America, and contained many democratic ideas including elections. The Mayflower Compact also had fundamental democratic ideals such as government by mutual consent. Roger Williams also provided an argument for the separation of church and state. A big part of the democracy that developed in Colonial America was the social mobility the colonists had in the new nation. All of these ideas showed that democracy developed in Colonial America.
...iance, readers are capable of seeing how citizens in the world today try to be independent of others and sustain their personal beliefs and philosophy. Individuals have to put an end to conformity and trying to be a duplication of everyone else because they will never achieve success if they never decide for themselves. A person must not rely on the judgment and minds of others and learn to think for him or herself since depending on others only exhibits a person’s inferiority to larger institutions. People must stop using travel as an excuse to evade personal problems because if they do not have a direct confrontation with the dilemma, trying to escape will only lengthen it. People in today’s society must appreciate this work so they will approve of their individuality and be stronger in fighting against everyone else that disagrees with their personal philosophy.
~The Problem with American Democracy is not too Little Democracy, but too much. Discuss ~
The relocation of so many people in the late 1800’s can be attributed to several push-pull factors. A number of the people that came over to America were from Germany, Ireland and England. In their homelands many experienced crop failure, a stagnant economy and in some cases even a shortage of food. One example of aforementioned crop failures would be the Irish Potato Famine that Ireland suffered through in the mid 1800’s. The plants were plagued with diseases and an estimated one million men, women and children lost their lives.
Democracy, the form of government that is emerging exponentially around the globe, does not, to the bewilderment of many, protect against tyranny (252). This notion echoes throughout Alexis de Tocqueville’s two-volume work, Democracy in America. Tocqueville is careful to explain that there is no perfect government. Consequently, the strength of freedom associated with democracy can easily be displaced; such power can be usurped by an unkind and unjust majority, resulting in tyranny, not the liberty desired by the people. While Tocqueville’s thoughts regarding this concept are flawlessly articulated, they wavered to a small effect. The tyranny Tocqueville imagines initially, the vision of despotism he concludes with, and the shift that
The reason for the migration was a combination of both the desire to escape bad economic conditions in their area, and the advantage of greater
• Some of these people came to New England to make money, but they were not the majority.
Most European emigrants left their homelands to escape political oppression, to seek the freedom to practice their religion, or to find opportunities denied them at home. Between 1620 and 1635, economic difficulties swept England. Many people could not find work it was getting harder to support their families. ( North American History)
Democracy is defined as a supreme power vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. Therefore, I have always thought of America as democracy a place where the people elected the government official, freedom of speech and freedom of religion where just a few great things that the United States had to offer. After reading this article I have doubts about America being a democracy state, federal laws can be created by a Senator or Representative who has an idea for a new law then after the bill passes, the president sign the bill in law and this bills applies to everyone who lives in the United States, but if it was a democracy then the