Alexis de Tocqueville compares with disinterested honesty 19th century Democracy, especially American democracy, with the European aristocracies that preceded it. In this two-volume work, he outlines both the benefits and dangers of both social orders. With the certain knowledge that the age of the aristocracy is passed, de Tocqueville writes with the ultimate hope that his book will serve as a warning to citizens under democratic rule, that they will not succumb to the apathy that is their greatest enemy, which would allow the government to pursue its natural tendency to metastasize into the private realm of citizen, governing an ever greater number of minutiae in the personal lives of its subjects, and annulling the freedom that was originally sought in creating a democracy ( )

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville translated by Mansfield & Winthrop) I started this book sometime ago as part of my "US Famous Historical Documents/Books" read. This book seemed overwhelming; I'm not sure of de Tocqueville's thesis, so it was a bit difficult to figure out where he was going; and that is important to me when I read a non-fiction or historical document. My favorite parts were his observations on politicians, specifically Daniel Boone and Andrew Jackson, both of whom he found illiterate and unfit for office. de Tocqueville was also astounded at the "equality" he found in America. Everybody shaking hands, sitting in church together, and walking down the same street. Although in America in 1837 slaves, Native Americans, and women certainly were not equal, de Tocqueville certainly found it much different that the stratified classes of France. He also studied the US Constitution and warned against the tyranny of the majority. I think de Tocqueville got that wrong, in the US we have the tyranny of the minority. Although there was much repetition, I found this to be a thought provoking reading. 722 ( )

There are so many ways to consider this book, I almost don't know where to start. First, one can think of it as a rich portrait of the United States in the 1830s, with a focus on political life but with social, cultural, and economic life examined as well. One can also appreciate this book as a view of the US from the perspective of a foreigner. Tocqueville flatters Americans quite often in this book, but he also makes numerous comparisons to European nations and points out what he sees as the fundamental differences in systems of government. One can also judge how well this work has stood the test of time and to what extent it still describes America today. I would argue that while many would like to say the country Tocqueville depicts is still in existence, he would also find the US much changed. The observances made about wealth, shared power with the people, and vast ambitions are starting to show their age - to the extent that Tocqueville might recognize different forces at work than those he focused on in this work. ( )

In a course I took the professor took about this book and it sounded very interesting. But when I finally read the book, it was hard to follow and I realized I liked the professor's explanation of the book better. ( )

This is not for the faint of heart. But it is amazing that something written so long ago (and by one so young!) could still have the ring of truth to it. I'll admit, our book club voted to read it then mostly complained about its length, so we divided it up and each person was responsible for about 100 pages. Several of us got so interested that we read more than our assignment, but none of us (myself included) actually read the entire book. I'm thinking, now (writing this on Nov 5, 2008) that I should persevere and read it all. ( )