Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859)
By
Jul 26, 2000
 orn in France to an aristocratic and monarchist family, Alexis de Tocqueville visited America at age 25 on a government mission to observe the new nation and its institutions. Impressed by what he saw, Tocqueville wrote Democracy in America in two volumes. Volume One, written in 1835, is the more optimistic of the two and was very popular in Europe since it praised the American experiment. Volume Two, written in 1840, warned against the potential for despotism and governmental centralization and applied the lessons learned in America to France. For this reason Volume Two was less popular except in England.
Why Alexis de Tocqueville is important to the ideals of freedom: Alexis de Tocqueville held that freedom, democracy, and equality would replace the monarchies and aristocracy of Europe. He viewed religion as a pillar of society and necessary for that society's goodness and well-being.
"In the end, the state of the Union comes down to the character of the people. ... I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for it in the fertile fields, and boundless prairies, and it was not there. I sought it in her rich mines, and vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power."
- Alexis de Tocqueville |
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