Tocqueville's America
It has been claimed that Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is the best book ever written about America and the best book ever written about democracy. While not all might agree with that assessment, most historians acknowledge the greatness of Tocqueville's work. It is one of the most widely quoted books in all the literature about America.
Who was Alexis de Tocqueville?
Alexis de Tocqueville was a French aristocrat whose family was greatly impacted by the French Revolution and its aftermath. Despite his noble origins, Tocqueville was by any measure a liberal within the context of his times. He served in various capacities in the French government during the restoration period and beyond, and was intimately acquainted with political matters. In the late 1820s Tocqueville and his friend Gustave de Beaumont became interested in the new Republic which had grown up across the Atlantic as a result of the American Revolution. Tocqueville and his family had crossed paths with the Marquis de Lafayette, and Tocqueville himself had read widely about America.
Tocqueville and Beaumont eventually decided to visit America, and as a pretext to cover their visit claimed that the purpose of their expedition was to examine prisons in America with an eye towards reforming prisons in France. While they did indeed visit American prisons and commented upon their observations in a book, Tocqueville's deeper interest was to see American democracy first hand.
Tocqueville and Beaumont arrived at Newport, Rhode Island, on May 9, 1831, and returned to France on February 20, 1832. They first traveled to New York where they spent a number of weeks, and where they were very well received. Americans had a friendly disposition toward France because of French assistance during the American Revolution, and Tocqueville and Beaumont engaged in many conversations about America and its institutions. Some of his hosts in New York even took the time to write brief essays about America for the use of their guests.
From New York the two travelers journeyed briefly through Canada, proceeded west as far as Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans. From there they made their way back to Washington where they had a meeting with President Andrew Jackson. During their trip they spoke with many Americans and took copious notes on their observations. Upon their return to France Tocqueville and Beaumont produced a lengthy work on prisons in America, which had been the original justification for their trip.
That done, Tocqueville then set out to write his greatest work, volume one of which was published in 1835; Volume two appeared in 1840. Since then it has been translated into English numerous times. Democracy in America remains one of the great classics of political literature.
The Tocqueville Project
There is really only one way to approach Tocqueville, and that is directly. You should obtain a copy of his work and read in it abundantly. Depending on the edition you happen to find—and virtually all in print are acceptable—it may run to 700 pages or more. You are not expected to read the entire volume, but by perusing the detailed table of contents that Tocqueville provides you can select areas to read which are of most interest to you. There are few aspects of American life that escape Tocqueville's attention. His book includes lengthy sections on the Constitution, politics, American society in general, the institution of slavery and the division of the races, and shorter segments on matters such as the situation of women in America, which he found especially interesting.
Below are a few links to help you get a background on Tocqueville, but the essence of this project is to get a copy of the book, Democracy in America, read in it, and write a brief essay with your response to what Tocqueville has to say. If you wish to purchase a copy of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville, I highly recommend the recent translation by Harvey C. Mansfield and Delba Winthrop, available in both hardcover and paperback. (Every serious student of American history ought to own a copy of Tocqueville's masterpiece.)
Tocqueville Links:
Updated April 16, 2005