By writing Democracy in America, De Tocqueville makes many observations that really tell what he has to say about America and proposes accurate advantages and disadvantages to the American system. He offers three occurrences that can be found in his observation of American Democracy. One is how America deals with the law, and how the Americans stop the tyranny of a majority rule. “Democratic laws generally tend toward the good of the greatest possible number for they stem from the majority of all the citizens, a majority which may be in error but which could not follow a path contrary to its own interests. Aristocratic laws tend, by contrast, toward concentrating wealth and power solely in the hands of a small number, because aristocracy consists of a minority by its very nature.” The majority rules in America. De Tocqueville has issues with this, where the system is not equal and many are unfairly left out and thrown aside. This tyranny is balanced however by realizing that in a mixed government the power of the sovereign has to go somewhere and that power it is decentralized through lack of an overreaching federal government. De Tocqueville also explains that judicially America can act in a utilitarian matter, where if there is a problem that a group is being oppressed they can act to help their needs. This tyranny cannot be without a description of De Tocqueville’s second distinction in Democracy of America where he states that America can be characterized by always valuing and having freedom but not necessarily having equality. This is opposed to the occurrence in France of oppressive equality, where even though there is complete equality between the people there is not freedom for the citizens of the country. The legitimacy of this claim can be argued, as there were slaves and the Native American population of America was extremely mistreated. But De Tocqueville does make mention of slavery in America, when he says “These evils are unquestionably great; but they are the necessary and foreseen consequence of the very principle of slavery.” American citizens were and always had a sense of freedom that is very important when recognizing how a republic and a democracy like the American system can come back.
De Tocqueville’s last major claim in Democracy in America is the importance of political and voluntary associations to the American political system. Associations, according to De Tocqueville, have a specific purpose that is vital for the wellbeing of America. “In the United States, associations aim to promote public safety, business, industry, morality, and religion. There is nothing the human will despairs of attaining through the free action of the combined power of individuals.” Associations come about from the freedoms that again characterize America, and they serve the people in ways that cannot be mimicked by the government. One association, the YMCA, or Young Men’s Christian Association really shows how much impact associations in America have and how much De Tocqueville was correct in his words above. In the 19th century, the YMCA was designed to allow immigrant youths to have a place to go and be active. With the sprawl in urbanization throughout this time, the YMCA flourished and found many members. This organization really shows how De Tocqueville’s belief in the importance of voluntary associations is true.
De Tocqueville’s Democracy in America offers to France and the rest of the world a unique look into a very distinct democracy, one that would be very difficult to replicate anywhere else. He makes many claims into how American democracy works, where he highly emphasizes the importance of citizen associations. These associations, he states, offer a specialized group led welfare to the whole country that is required for the country to exist and function as well as it has. America, De Tocqueville claims, is ruled by a majority, so there is always threat of tyrannical majority rule. He leaves us with evidence that shows the majority rule does not work like that but rather the American judicial and law system prevents this awful tyranny. De Tocqueville also discusses freedom in America and how lucky the Americans were to have always had freedom from the very start of their being. Democracy in America is an accurate representation of American democracy and De Tocqueville is correct in these observations of America in the 19th century.
The Origins of De Tocqueville’s claims come from his reasons for writing Democracy in America. Alexis De Tocqueville was born in France in the early 1800’s. A prominent politician in his later years, De Tocqueville wrote of American Democracy when he was young and still observing the world. With discontent for the French political system and distaste for the way the aristocracy ruled France, Alexis De Tocqueville traveled to America and observed how America goes about its democratic ways. He compares this to France and France’s system, where often in the book he discusses issues like freedom before equality and the tyranny of the majority or minority. Being French, De Tocqueville obviously wrote this work to show France another working model to replace or modify the French Aristocracy. Democracy in America also has an international audience, displaying proudly or not to the rest of the world the behaviors of Americans and how their system does or does not work so well. America should also be mentioned as perhaps an unintended audience, where they see their democracy at work through the lens of an outsider. All of these audiences add to why De Tocqueville wrote this great work and help support his claims made about American democracy.
De Tocqueville, American Democracy and the YMCA
In Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville accurately paints a wonderful portrait of his impression of America Democracy for the better understanding of America for the rest of the world and the United States themselves. Many different can interpretations can be drawn from De Tocqueville‘s statements on democracy, but these statements can be uncovered even through the ambiguity of his account of America. De Tocqueville has a specific view and purpose for writing this work, where he claims that American democracy works because of a collaboration of citizens in political and voluntary associations, freedom for the individual even without complete equality and a limit of the downsides of majority rule, or as he puts it a tyranny of the majority. All claims made by De Tocqueville are shown through evidence throughout the book. De Tocqueville’s claims can be backed up by the understanding of a specific voluntary association, the YMCA. These claims of American democracy should also be viewed by his past and with the knowledge of the audience he was intending. The audience meant can be considered solely the French, but it can also be considered America as well.
