Posts Tagged ‘Democracy In America’
On The Point Of Departure
Alexis & Me – Part I Chapter 2 This chapter is a fascinating précis in and of itself about the origins of American society, law, culture, and habit. Alexis defines the various distinct regions of the country as it was founded, and the origins of the peoples who settled it. It is in this chapter that he really sets America apart from its [...]
Alexis & Me – Introduction Pages 7 – 10
Tocqueville, referencing the ancient origins of democracy and its downfall: “Almost before anyone was aware of existence, it seized power unexpectedly. From then on each man has abjectly catered to the least of its desires. Once it was worshiped as the very image of force. Later, after its strength had been sapped by its own excesses, [...]
Alexis & Me – Introduction Pages 2 – 7
Alexis invites us further beyond the first few paragraphs by exploring the history of France over the previous 700 years – from the start of the 12th century to his day. While it ignores the massive impact of the Plague upon migration and the fall of the feudal system, his brief summary brings him to the point he wants to make concerning [...]
Alexis & Me – Introduction Page 1
Alexis grabbed me in his introduction right away. "Among the new things that attracted my attention during my stay in the United States, none struck me more forcefully than the equality of conditions. I readily discovered what a prodigious influence this basic fact exerts on the workings of society. It imparts a certain direction to the public [...]
Alexis & Me – A Course in Human Events
Travel America with me for a while… I am reading “Democracy in America” by Alexis de Tocqueville, who wrote the book from 1835 to 1840. From the jacket flap of the version translated by Arthur Goldhammer in The Library of America edition, 2004 : “A young and aristocratic lawyer, Tocqueville came to the United States in 1831 with his [...]
