Alexis de Tocqueville

Democracy in America
 Alexis de Tocqueville
 From France—lived through the French
Revolution…just barely
 Sent to study American prisons
 Was in America during Andrew Jackson’s
presidency
 He noticed that America was different
from Europe in many ways and tried to
identify the ways in a book.
 Why is American Democracy
working?
 Both America and France went through
revolutions
 America has a Democracy that has
worked
 France has gone through many
revolutions and restorations during the
same time period.
 What made American Democracy
successful?
 Tocqueville’s 5 values
 Egalitarianism
 Populism
 Liberty
 Individualism
 Laissez-Faire
 Egalitarianism

 A society of equals.
 European society was built around
hereditary distinctions separation the
nobles, middle class, and peasants.
 In American society there are differences,
but everyone is equal. Also anyone can
own land.
 Two exceptions to this he found were slavery
and the treatment of Native Americans
 Populism
 Popular Sovereignty
 The participation of the common people in
political life—voting
 Since everyone in society was equal,
everyone had the same right to participate
in government.
 The goal of such a society was peace and
prosperity for all.
 Liberty
 Protection against tyrannical government
 Biggest danger was the tyranny of the
majority.
 Americans are devoted to the rule of law
 America’s federal system helped prevent the
rise of an over-powerful government
 Americans’ religious faith helped
strengthen the belief in individual liberty
 Individualism
 Americans were free to flourish without
hereditary distinctions
 They believed they could rise in society
(the American Dream)
 Individuals even organized themselves
into to their own private, voluntary
associations, such as charities.
 Laissez-Faire
(if you don’t know this you will be punched in the throat )

 Government took a Laissez-faire or

“hands off” approach to the economy
 A key value of Americans was that each
individual was the best judge of his own
interest.
 He feared if they (Americans) relied too
heavily on government, they would saddle
it with a burden it was unable to perform.