Tocqueville : American Exceptionalism?

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. This growth of despotism would be created by citizens becoming too individualistic, and therefore not bothering to fulfill their civic duties or exercise their freedom. Tocqueville feared that the political order of America would soon become

People in Great Britain wanted to escape the aristocracy and establish freedom for themselves and their families. The writings of Alexis de Tocqueville, in Democracy in America, and J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur's, "Letter from an American Farmer," helped catapult the idea of America being this new land of the brave and free. According to Tocqueville, American became a place where the Puritans found freedom for themselves. The Puritans really pushed for democracy and equality in this new land as a vast dichotomy of what they escaped in Britain. America being a place of democracy that was not dependent upon a royal family and aristocracy for ruling was a source of pride for the people and made America unique. Additionally, the idea of its people having power, rights, and a constitution to protect that supported the idea of equality and liberty. Crevecoeur stated, “He persecutes nobody, and nobody persecutes him, he visits his neighbors, and his neighbors visit him.” There is the idea that in America one can be themselves and everyone has the same basic human rights. Crevecoeur’s writing differed from Tocqueville in the accuracy of America at the time and how accessible the American Dream actually was for all of the people living in America. The writings of Tocqueville and Crevecoeur highlight these great accomplishments by Americans and shifts the narrative of America being run by natives and British immigrants to American being run by Americans.

The Puritans viewed religious and civil affairs at the same level. They did not separate the two. Even though the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment stated that church and state were separate, the Puritans held them close together. The Puritans' strict beliefs influenced politics during this time period. In the early stages of the puritans journey to purification, they opened a new church and slowly they were evolving into their own beliefs. The puritans wanted to break away from the norms, and expectations of Christian society. I believed that the puritans had the idea that by creating a new church, they could essentially purify their life, along with others, and the way the church ruled. The spiritual belief of the puritans was so strong that it influenced communities, laws and customs. In the ideal world for the puritans, God is above all. The puritans, I think, wanted to remove the idea of having a ruler, or dictatorship in control of the people, and their

The Puritans greatly impacted the political development of the New England colonies. Firstly, the idea of a representative government was derived from Puritan ritual. Much as the Puritans believed the congregation should elect the reverend, the Puritans also believed that the government should get its power from the people. This experiment in democracy was one of the hallmarks of Puritan influence on the New England colonies. Extending that idea was the idea of unity, politically speaking. As said by John Winthrop, “Wee must delight in eache other, make other’s conditions our own…” [Document A]. The concept of unity and

Puritanism forbade tyranny and oppression primarily because the Puritans had been oppressed throughout Europe, especially in England. Even though they frequently pushed their religion and beliefs onto others, as traditional Christianity of the 1600s was forced upon them, Puritans still preached the principle of freedom. America?s founders declared war with England particularly to establish freedom and independence. Throughout the years, as the United States gained strength, it also promoted freedom and democracy in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and most recently the Middle East. The majority of Americans believe in freedom from oppression and tyranny, and the entire origin of the country is a result of this conviction.

One of the main reasons that the Puritans sailed to America to was to escape religious persecution. They were actually being physically beaten because of their religious beliefs. America began with a government based on religious beliefs. It developed into a government, which condemned those who did not believe in the Puritan beliefs. For

Count Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a part of the French government and held many positions as a magistrate and political observer. Most of his observations were done on political observations and writings workings of the United States. After some time, he became a reliable source for historical and contemporary aspects of American culture. In Origin of Anglo-Americans Tocqueville makes an excellent point,

Early English settlers came to colonial America to escape religious oppression in England, however, one settling in America they enforced their own religious oppression on both natives, and colonials who dared to question their religion. The colonial hierarchy had a very basic pattern, those who followed the religion of the colony had the most power. Those who opposed were given little to no power, and we often forced to either stay silent or leave the community as a whole in search of land in which they were free to express their beliefs. This religious oppression is a common theme with the Puritan community of New England, where Roger Williams was forced to move to providence due to his beliefs, so called “witches” were murdered with little proof of any wrongdoing, and Native Americans were looked at as impure due to their culture. By sustaining a society of religious oppression the Puritans were able to hold a great amount of power in the Northern colonies of America.

And this belief is what motivated his deep interest in America, his visit persuaded him that America had achieved in a peaceful and natural way almost complete equality of conditions. He said if we understand America, we could not only understand what democracy means, but in a way even take a look into the world’s future. He wrote, “ I confess, that in America I saw more than America; I sought the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress.” (Democracy in America Volume I) He thought he saw the outlines of a new kind of society, which would slowly become that kind of society for the rest of the world. He saw at first hand democratized society. America became somewhat apprehensive of what they thought. America achieved its independence and many of the French supported America. Many Frenchmen learned their lesson when they came here and then they went back and began. Tocqueville saw the industrial revolution the enlightenment, and the

Both Tocqueville and Kammen argue that the unique political culture of the United States roots from its people and their origins. Tocqueville states that the diverse backgrounds and the common language among the newcomers created a sense of equality among the colonists, and thus formed the basis for a democratic mindset.

Tocqueville goes on to write “And what can be done with a people who are their own masters if they are not submissive to the Deity?” This statement is the exact root of the elite’s problems. If the people believed themselves to be their own masters, the elite would have no chance of any control on the working class. The birth of the United States and its democracy was a far cry from the chains that England had placed on them. People could now have a say in

The Puritans believed that God instituted society and expected to see Christian principles prevail within (173). The goal of the Puritans was not to be legalistic but to please the God who sent His Son to save them from their sins. As a result, they sought to establish laws that aligned with Christian principles. One Puritan, Thomas Cartwright, even said that “the commonwealth must be made to agree with the church [that is Christian principles].” Laws were not instituted to force action of the citizens but sought to ensure that the citizens of the colony followed the commands of God laid out in the Bible. While this motivation to obey the Word of God in all portions does substantiate the claim towards legalism, a deeper study of the term legalism shows that the Puritans were not legalistic.

The project that Alexis de Tocqueville undertook in writing Democracy in America was highly ambitious, and became one of the most influential texts of the nineteenth century, and remains to this day a classic in political science literature. Having witnessed the failure of France to democratize, Tocqueville sought out to study a prosperous democracy. The United States of America during the writing of this text exemplified stability and democratic governance, allowing Alexis de Tocqueville to gain insight into making a democratic government succeed. His travels and studies in the United States ultimately led him to conclude that the transition toward a democratic government and equality of conditions had developed strongest in America, though he suggests that it is indeed a universal phenomenon and a perpetual historical tendency that could not be stopped. This conclusion that democratic development is inevitable encouraged him to examine the process in an attempt to understand the strengths, as well as the dangers, associated with democratic governance.

Tocqueville was raised in an aristocratic home, he had a private tutor assisting him throughout his school years up until high school, where he then attended public school. When Tocqueville first went to University, he studied law, and then worked as a substitute judge before coming to the United States. Other than Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, he published 4 other books, all discussing political issues and things that occurred during his reign of being a part of the Constituent and Legislative assemblies.

Trying to find a common ground between very distinct societies such as the old world of France and the new democratic world of the America In reading Tocqueville