"DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA" (ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE).   Term Paper ID:26049 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Views of Frenchman on society, values & ideals, politics, problems of U.S. in 1830s.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Views of Frenchman on society, values & ideals, politics, problems of U.S. in 1830s. Paper Introduction: One of the earliest analyses of American culture was that of Alexis de Tocqueville, who traveled the country in 1835 and 1840. In his Democracy in America, De Tocqueville reported on what Americans thought of themselves, and much of what he writes evokes the traditions and myths by which Americans are identified to this day. Among the traditions De Tocqueville cites about American society are the notion of rights for everyone, the public spirit of the people, and the general respect for law. He also addresses the question of the possibility of the tyranny of the majority and the ways in which this is mitigated as he writes: "But in the United States the majority which so frequently displays the tastes and the propensities of a despot, is still destitute of the more perfect instruments of tyranny" (De Tocqueville 261). De Tocqueville then shows how the minority is pr Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Huntington and Benjamin Barber refer to De Tocqueville directlyand indirectly. The American creed is thus determined by a popular consensuson what values are most important. De Tocqueville refers here to the democratic process ofdebate, compromise and finally voting. De Tocqueville found that any attemptto correct the problems of democracy had to do so in a way that agreed withthe underlying principles of democracy and equality. Some of the essentialnature of what de Tocqueville found in the American political and socialsystem remains in force today. Huntington, follow deTocqueville in describing American political culture as the most importantexample of modern liberal democracy, and Huntington is also one who seesAmerican political development as the working out of liberal democratic orrepublican principles in terms of both "liberalizing" and "democratizing"socioeconomic changes. New York: Arlington House, no date.Huntington, Samuel P. Culture developed from this and the infusion by other groups,such as immigrants from western, southern, and eastern Europe, causing theoriginal culture to be modified but not fundamentally altered. De Tocqueville saw this as the fundamental fact fromwhich all others concepts of democracy would have to be derived. His thesis is that Americahas been most shaped by the unusually free and egalitarian ideas andmaterial conditions that prevailed when it was founded. University of Virginia Press, 1986.De Tocqueville, Alexis. De Tocqueville was an observer of American culture when America was anagrarian nation where the basic unit of association was the localcommunity. Yet, the peoplehave the power to make this decision, as Benjamin Barber, another followerof de Tocqueville, noted in citing the importance of individualempowerment. De Tocqueville stated that "republic" in the United Statesmeant "the slow and quiet action of society upon itself;" furthermore, "itis an orderly state really founded on the enlightened will of the people.It is a conciliatory government under which resolutions have time to ripen,being discussed with deliberation and executed only when mature" (DeTocqueville 395). We have thus moved some way fromthe conditions in early America, and so from the conditions encountered byTocqueville. In his Democracyin America, De Tocqueville reported on what Americans thought ofthemselves, and much of what he writes evokes the traditions and myths bywhich Americans are identified to this day. That America was an interlocking network of specific socialroles, such as husband, wife, child, farmer, craftsman, clergyman, lawyer,merchant, and so on. De Tocqueville worried about excesses in collective action andbehavior in society. De Tocqueville then showshow the minority is protected from the tyranny of the majority byprovisions in the U.S. What made the society different from other societies,according to de Tocqueville, was the spirit and the mores that animatedmembers of this community, a spirit he saw as symbolized in therepresentative character of the independent citizen. Creedderives from the set of universal ideas and principles articulated in thefounding documents by American leaders, including liberty, equality,democracy, constitutionalism, liberalism, limited government, and privateenterprise. America today is nolonger a rural, agrarian culture but is rather an urbanized culture, thoughthe people in some ways still think of the country in populist terms as asmall-town nation. Illiberal and undemocratic beliefs and practicesare depicted as no more than expressions of ignorance and prejudice.Huntington and many others base their arguments on an appeal to the classicanalysis of American politics, de Tocqueville. The key to our values lies in the relationship that existsbetween our private and our public lives, and the life-style enclaves thatseem to have developed place more emphasis on the private life and seepublic life within a specific life-style sphere that is separate from anycentral public life with a broader scope. Thesocial condition of equality is the moving force and principle ofdemocratic regimes. The system thus has within it acontradiction and a conflict involving the most fundamental feature andsupport for democracy, a conflict that has only increased with the changessince the time of de Tocqueville. Horowitz (ed.). DeTocqueville praises democracy but also shows that he has a real fear ofwhat he sees as the American passion for equality and finds that it can becompatible with tyranny as well as with liberty. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 1981. He describes a nation of individuals gathered arounda central authority and a central idea, though this vision seems to applyless and less to America as time passes, now beset by a shift toindividualism and fragmentation. De Tocqueville had predicted some of this when he said the privatesphere would contract and people would come to live in small coteries. Constitution, a theme that can be found in manyother writers on American political traditions. Inour present society, we are faced with massive concentrations of economicpower, great inequality of wealth, and the near-disappearance of the self-employed farmer, merchant, and artisan. However, Barber also considers Americans to have purposelesslives, which could be the result of the sort of unfettered freedom deTocqueville both admires and fears. The first derives from the values andinstitutions of the original settlers, primarily Northern Europeans, aculture which included the English language and traditions concerningrelations between church and state and the place of the individual insociety. Commentators such asSamuel P. There is no longer a central social authority.This is becoming more and more the case as our mass media fragments evenmore--the three television networks no longer dominate, so there is noshared culture there; new media such as computers crete even greaterfragmentation into groups; and neighborhoods have become balkanized alongracial and ethnic lines, further separating people from any central idea ofAmerica. De Tocqueville considered materialism and individualismdivisive features of democracy, and both are apparent in our presentsociety and have been for some time. One of the earliest analyses of American culture was that of Alexis deTocqueville, who traveled the country in 1835 and 184 . This is the working process of thedogma of the sovereignty of the people. Among the traditions DeTocqueville cites about American society are the notion of rights foreveryone, the public spirit of the people, and the general respect for law. It is apparent thatat some levels individualism and materialism clash with one another incontemporary society and in contemporary politics, but the underlyingculture and creed remain in force. Alexis de Tocqueville set out with a particular goal in mind--hewanted to describe the way in which a particular social condition, that ofequality, made itself felt in the political institutions of the Americannation and in the customs, habits, and manners of the citizenry. This idea is still prevalenttoday, though more and more groups in society believe that they have beendisenfranchised and that their vote does not matter, their voices are lostin the debate, and moneyed interests have more power than they can everhave even if they combine to take action as a group. Huntington argues similarly that American identity is based on acombination of culture and creed. Works CitedBarber, Samuel in The Moral Foundations of the American Republic, Robert H. The term "republic" had a particular meaning for de Tocqueville thattranscended the idea of the Union that was then so important because of theCivil War. He also addresses the question of the possibility of the tyranny of themajority and the ways in which this is mitigated as he writes: "But inthe United States the majority which so frequently displays the tastes andthe propensities of a despot, is still destitute of the more perfectinstruments of tyranny" (De Tocqueville 261). Democracy in America. Society hasbeen fragmented by political and social upheavals into groupings aroundcertain income levels, ideas, even locations. Many social scientists, such as Samuel P. The problem was thatin order to achieve a society that would be equitable and effective, peoplehad to be persuaded to give up their liberty to a degree. One contributing factor to this changecan be found in the explosion in mass communications which make it possiblefor groups to gather around different issues, ideas, and modes of life aswas never possible before. Differences have been magnifiedacross class lines--life style is definitely related to income level andsocial distinctions in spite of the emphasis on individualism. At the same time, American society haschanged greatly, as have our political institutions, since the time of deTocqueville. American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.