Democracy in America written by Alexis de Tocqueville gives insight into the strengths and weakness of American democracy. Given a grant by the French government, de Tocqueville traveled to the United States with his friend Gustave de Beaumont to observe the effects American democracy had on its people, and to point out the strengths and weakness of the system that governed them. In his home country France, democracy seemed to be exotic and new. But, he believed that democracy would be the future…
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Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political scientist, historian, philosopher and politician, is most famous for a four-volume book he wrote called “Democracy in America”. He came to America in 1831 to study the American form of democracy and what it might mean to the rest of the world. After a visit of only nine months, he wrote a remarkable book which is regarded as a classic. De Tocqueville had unusual powers of observation. He described not only the democratic system of government and how it…
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When you hear the name Alexis Charles Henri Clérel Viscount de Tocqueville you may not recognize it. However, this name is more important than you think. Alexis was born July 29th, 1805 in Paris, France and died April 16th, 1859 at the age of fifty three in Cannes, France. Alexis believed America brought the most advanced idea and example of equality in action. Alexis was worried that as the idea of individuality was becoming more popular the American citizens would assimilate and will become lost…
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comparison and contrast between Charles Dickens, Alexis De Tocqueville, and Fanny Trollope is how they viewed and managed the gender issues, rationality, along with slavery. During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, as more white males won the right to vote, political parties became more organized and slavery and enslavement laws were being passed, the character of American Democracy changed. As democracy in America revealed, Alexis De Tocqueville believed that equality was the great political…
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Tony Rodriguez September 7, 2014 Alexis de Tocqueville: Democracy in America This document was written by Alexis de Tocqueville, who was a French aristocrat who wanted to study the American democracy. He was fascinated by how all Americans had an equal opportunity, which at that time (1830s) was not seen. He wanted to see the how democracy differed in Europe compared to what was being done in America. He felt that by studying it, he could figure out its strengths and weaknesses and use…
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Alexis de Tocqueville was a French politician, landowner, farmer, and political writer. He was sent to America to analyze the America’s prison system, but Tocqueville was far more interested in its American Democracy that he analyzed that in far more detail. He composed a book containing his thoughts and opinions, but remained un-sided as he explained that he was simply an observer. In chapter one of Alexia de Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America, the title is named “Exterior Configuration of…
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Short Answer: 1. In Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, “mores” are understood as customary rules of behavior or social norms. These “mores” are the foundation of the social contract that allows mankind to create a civil society and eventually form government. 2. Tocqueville argued that Puritanism was closely related to political theory because of the way churches were formed. Puritans would simply vote on the idea of adopting another church. This method was very democratic compared to the…
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Alexis de Tocqueville's visit to the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century prompted his work Democracy in America, in which he expressed the ability to make democracy work. Throughout his travels Tocqueville noted that private interest and personal gain motivated the actions of most Americans, which in turn cultivated a strong sense of individualism. Tocqueville believed that this individualism would soon "sap the virtue of public life" (395) and create a despotism of selfishness…
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with the concept of aristocracy that they often find fault in other institutions such as democracy. In Democracy in America, author, Alexis De Tocqueville, indicates that both aristocracy and democracy have their advantages and disadvantages, but it becomes obvious that Tocqueville leans towards aristocracy rather than democracy. Tocqueville opens the text by addressing the aristocracy institution. Tocqueville mentions that “a man always knows his forefathers and respects them; he thinks he already…
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Democracy in America Democracy is a unique type of government, and the purpose of this essay is to illustrate the strengths and weaknesses that a democratic government provides. I will detail that many components of this type of society are both strengths and weakness as each component has beneficial aspects as well as unavoidable pitfalls. A democracy is a government by the people, in which the power is vested in the people themselves. The people then elect representatives who conduct their power…
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