# Democracy in America (Reeve)

DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA.
BY
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE,
MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE OF FRANCE, AND OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, ETC., ETC.
TRANSLATED BY HENRY REEVE, ESQ.
WITH AN ORIGINAL PREFACE AND NOTES BY
JOHN C. SPENCER,
COUNSELLOR AT LAW.
EIGHTH EDITION,
REVISED AND CORRECTED FROM THE EIGHTH PARIS EDITION.
COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY PRATT, WOODFORD, & CO.
1848.
New York: Pratt, Woodford & Co., pages xiii–xx; contrary to the listing here, the first part ends at p. 471, and the appendix is at the end of the second part, not at the end of the first part. See Democracy in America for an earlier edition. This edition has an Index which is not present in the earlier edition or the French edition. The French edition has an untranslated appendix discussing a book by Cherbuliez on democracy in Switzerland.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
| | Page |
| Preface by the American Editor | iii |
| Introduction | 1 |
| CHAPTER I. ||
| Exterior form of North America | 17 |
| CHAPTER II. ||
| Origin of the Anglo-Americans, and its Importance in Relation to their future Condition | 26 |
| Reasons of certain Anomalies which the Laws and Customs of the Anglo-Americans present | 44 |
| CHAPTER III. ||
| Social Condition of the Anglo-Americans | 47 |
| The striking Characteristic of the social Condition of the Anglo-Americans is its essential Democracy | 47 |
| Political Consequences of the social Condition of the Anglo-Americans | 55 |
| CHAPTER IV. ||
| The Principle of the Sovereignty of the People in America | 57 |
| CHAPTER V. ||
| Necessity of examining the Condition of the States before that of the Union at large | 60 |
| The American System of Townships and municipal Bodies | 61 |
| Limits of the Townships | 63 |
| Authorities of the Township in New England | 63 |
| Existence of the Township | 66 |
| Public Spirit of the Townships of New England | 68 |
| The Counties of New England | 71 |
| Administration in New England | 72 |
| General Remarks on the Administration of the United States | 81 |
| Of the State | 85 |
| Legislative Power of the State | 86 |
| The executive Power of the State | 87 |
| Political Effects of the System of local Administration in the United States | 88 |
| CHAPTER VI. ||
| Judicial Power in the United States, and its Influence on political Society | 101 |
| Other Powers granted to the American Judges | 107 ​ |
| CHAPTER VII. ||
| Political Jurisdiction in the United States | 109 |
| CHAPTER VIII. ||
| The federal Constitution | 115 |
| History of the federal Constitution | 115 |
| Summary of the federal Constitution | 117 |
| Prerogative of the federal Government | 119 |
| Federal Powers | 121 |
| Legislative Powers | 121 |
| A farther Difference between the Senate and the House of Representatives | 124 |
| The executive Power | 124 |
| Differences between the Position of the President of the United States and that of a constitutional King of France | 126 |
| Accidental Causes which may increase the Influence of the executive Government | 130 |
| Why the President of the United States does not require the Majority of the two Houses in Order to carry on the Government | 131 |
| Election of the President | 132 |
| Mode of Election | 137 |
| Crisis of the Election | 140 |
| Re-election of the President | 141 |
| Federal Courts | 145 |
| Means of determining the Jurisdiction of the federal Courts | 148 |
| Different Cases of Jurisdiction | 150 |
| Procedure of the federal Courts | 156 |
| High Rank of the supreme Courts among the great Powers of the State | 159 |
| In what Respects the federal Constitution is superior to that of the States | 161 |
| Characteristics which distinguish the federal Constitution of the United States of America from all other federal Constitutions | 166 |
| Advantages of the federal System in General, and its special Utility in America | 169 |
| Why the federal System is not adapted to all Peoples, and how the Anglo-Americans were enabled to adopt it | 177 |
| CHAPTER IX. ||
| Why the People may strictly be said to govern in the United States | 184 |
| CHAPTER X. ||
| Parties in the United States | 186 |
| Remains of the aristocratic Party in the United States | 191 |
| CHAPTER XI. ||
| Liberty of the Press in the United States | 194 |
| CHAPTER XII. ||
| Political Associations in the United States | 204 |
| CHAPTER XIII. ||
| Government of the Democracy in America | 213 |
| Universal Suffrage | 213 |
| Choice of the People, and instinctive Preferences of the American Democracy | 214 |
| Causes which may partly correct the Tendencies of the Democracy | 217 |
| Influence which the American Democracy has exercised on the Laws relating to Elections | 221 |
| Public Officers under the control of the Democracy in America | 229 ​ |
| Arbitrary Power of Magistrates under the rule of the American Democracy | 225 |
| Instability of the Administration in the United States | 228 |
| Charges levied by the State under the rule of the American Democracy | 230 |
| Tendencies of the American Democracy as regards the Salaries of public Officers | 234 |
| Difficulty of distinguishing the Causes which contribute to the Economy of the American Government | 237 |
| Whether the Expenditure of the United States can be compared to that of France | 238 |
| Corruption and vices of the Rulers in a Democracy, and consequent Effects upon public Morality | 243 |
| Efforts of which a Democracy is capable | 245 |
| Self-control of the American Democracy | 249 |
| Conduct of foreign Affairs, by the American Democracy | 251 |
| CHAPTER XIV. ||
| What the real Advantages are which American Society derives from the Government of the Democracy | 257 |
| General Tendency of the Laws under the Rule of the American Democracy, and Habits of those who apply them | 257 |
| Public Spirit in the United States | 262 |
| Notion of Rights in the United States | 265 |
| Respect for the Law in the United States | 268 |
| Activity which pervades all the Branches of the Body politic in the United States; Influence which it exercises upon Society | 270 |
| CHAPTER XV. ||
| Unlimited Power of the Majority in the United States, and its Consequences | 275 |
| How the unlimited Power of the Majority increases in America, the Instability of Legislation inherent in Democracy | 278 |
| Tyranny of the Majority | 280 |
| Effects of the unlimited Power of the Majority upon the arbitrary Authority of the American public Officers | 283 |
| Power exercised by the Majority in America upon public Opinion | 284 |
| Effects of the Tyranny of the Majority upon the national Character of the Americans | 287 |
| The greatest Dangers of the American Republics proceed from the unlimited Power of the Majority | 292 |
| CHAPTER XVI. ||
| Causes which Mitigate the Tyranny of the Majority in the United States | 295 |
| Absence of central Administration | 295 |
| The Profession of the Law in the United States serves to Counterpoise the Democracy | 297 |
| Trial by Jury in the United States considered as a political Institution | 307 |
| CHAPTER XVII. ||
| Principal Causes which tend to maintain the democratic Republic in the United States | 315 |
| Accidental or providential Causes which contribute to the Maintenance of the democratic Republic in the United States | 316 |
| Influence of the Laws upon the Maintenance of the democratic Republic in the United States | 326 |
| Influence of Manners upon the Maintenance of the democratic Republic in the United States | 327 ​ |
| Religion considered as a political Institution, which powerfully Contributes to the Maintenance of the democratic Republic among the Americans | 328 |
| Indirect Influence of religious Opinions upon political Society in the United States | 331 |
| Principal Causes which render Religion powerful in America | 386 |
| How the Instruction, the Habits, and the practical Experience of the Americans, promote the Success of their democratic Institutions | 343 |
| The Laws contribute more to the Maintenance of the democratic Republic in the United States than the physical Circumstances of the Country, and the Manners more than the Laws | 348 |
| Whether Laws and Manners are sufficient to maintain democratic Institutions in other Countries beside America | 353 |
| Importance of what precedes with respect to the State of Europe | 356 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. ||
| The present and probable future Condition of the three Races which Inhabit the Territory of the United States | 361 |
| The present and probable future Condition of the Indian Tribes which Inhabit the Territory possessed by the Union | 367 |
| Situation of the black Population in the United States, and Dangers with which its Presence threatens the Whites | 386 |
| What are the Chances in favour of the Duration of the American Union, and what Dangers threaten it | 413 |
| Of the republican Institutions of the United States, and what their Chances of Duration are | 450 |
| Reflections on the Causes of the commercial Prosperity of the United States | 457 |
| Conclusion | 465 |
| Appendix | 475 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OF
THE SECOND PART.
FIRST BOOK.
INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRACY ON THE PROGRESS OF OPINION IN THE UNITED STATES.
| | Page |
| CHAPTER I. ||
| Philosophical method among the Americans | 1 |
| CHAPTER II. ||
| Of the principal source of belief among democratic nations | 7 |
| CHAPTER III. ||
| Why the Americans display more readiness and more taste for general ideas than their forefathers the English | 12 |
| CHAPTER IV. ||
| Why the Americans have never been so eager as the French for general ideas in political matters | 18 |
| CHAPTER V. ||
| Of the manner in which religion in the United States avails itself of democratic tendencies | 20 |
| CHAPTER VI. ||
| Of the progress of Roman Catholicism in the United States | 29 |
| CHAPTER VII. ||
| Of the cause of a leaning to Pantheism among democratic nations | 31 |
| CHAPTER VIII. ||
| The principle of equality suggests to the Americans the idea of the indefinite perfectibility of man | 33 |
| CHAPTER IX. ||
| The example of the Americans does not prove that a democratic people can have no aptitude and no taste for science, literature, or art | 35 ​ |
| CHAPTER X. ||
| Why the Americans are more addicted to practical than to theoretical science | 41 |
| CHAPTER XI. ||
| Concerning the spirit in which the Americans cultivate the arts | 49 |
| CHAPTER XII. ||
| Why the Americans raise some monuments so insignificant and others so important | 55 |
| CHAPTER XIII. ||
| Literary characteristic of democratic ages | 57 |
| CHAPTER XIV. ||
| The trade of literature | 63 |
| CHAPTER XV. ||
| The study of Greek and Latin literature peculiarly useful in democratic communities | 64 |
| CHAPTER XVI. ||
| The effect of democracy on language | 67 |
| CHAPTER XVII. ||
| Of some of the sources of poetry among democratic nations | 75 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. ||
| Of the inflated style of American writers and orators | 82 |
| CHAPTER XIX. ||
| Some observations on the Drama among democratic nations | 84 |
| CHAPTER XX. ||
| Characteristics of historians in democratic ages | 90 |
| CHAPTER XXI. ||
| Of parliamentary eloquence in the United States | 94 |
SECOND BOOK.
INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRACY ON THE FEELINGS OF THE AMERICANS.
CHAPTER I. :
| Why democratic nations show a more ardent and enduring love of equality than of liberty | 99 |
| CHAPTER II. ||
| Of individualism in democratic communities | 104 ​ |
| CHAPTER III. ||
| Individualism stronger at the close of a democratic revolution than at other periods | 107 |
| CHAPTER IV. ||
| That the Americans combat the effects of individualism by free institutions | 109 |
| CHAPTER V. ||
| Of the use which the Americans make of public associations in civil life | 115 |
| CHAPTER VI. ||
| Of the relation between public associations and newspapers | 119 |
| CHAPTER VII. ||
| Connexion of civil and political associations | 123 |
| CHAPTER VIII. ||
| The Americans combat individualism by the principle of interest rightly understood | 129 |
| CHAPTER IX. ||
| That the Americans apply the principle of interest rightly understood to religious matters | 133 |
| CHAPTER X. ||
| Of the taste for physical well-being in America | 136 |
| CHAPTER XI. ||
| Peculiar effects of the love of physical gratifications in democratic ages | 139 |
| CHAPTER XII. ||
| Causes of fanatical enthusiasm in some Americans | 141 |
| CHAPTER XIII. ||
| Causes of the restless spirit of the Americans in the midst of their prosperity | 144 |
| CHAPTER XIV. ||
| Taste for physical gratifications united in America to love of freedom and attention to public affairs | 148 |
| CHAPTER XV. ||
| That religious belief sometimes turns the Americans to immaterial pleasures | 152 |
| CHAPTER XVI. ||
| That excessive care of worldly welfare may impair that welfare | 157 |
| CHAPTER XVII. ||
| That at times marked by equality of conditions it is important to remove to a distance the object of human actions | 159 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. ||
| That among the Americans all honest callings are honourable | 162 ​ |
| CHAPTER XIX. ||
| What leads almost all the Americans to follow industrial callings | 164 |
| CHAPTER XX. ||
| That aristocracy may be engendered by manufactures | 169 |
THIRD BOOK.
INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRACY ON MANNERS, PROPERLY SO CALLED.
CHAPTER I. :
| That manners are softened as social conditions become more equal | 173 |
| CHAPTER II. ||
| That democracy renders the habitual intercourse of the Americans simple and easy | 178 |
| CHAPTER III. ||
| Why the Americans show so little sensitiveness in their own country, and are so sensitive in Europe | 181 |
| CHAPTER IV. ||
| Consequences of the three preceding chapters | 185 |
| CHAPTER V. ||
| How democracy affects the relation of masters and servants | 187 |
| CHAPTER VI. ||
| That democratic institutions and manners tend to raise rents and shorten the terms of leases | 196 |
| CHAPTER VII. ||
| Influence of democracy on wages | 199 |
| CHAPTER VIII. ||
| Influence of democracy on kindred | 202 |
| CHAPTER IX. ||
| Education of young women in the United States | 209 |
| CHAPTER X. ||
| The young woman in the character of a wife | 212 |
| CHAPTER XI. ||
| That the equality of conditions contributes to the maintenance of good morals in America | 217 ​ |
| CHAPTER XII. ||
| How the Americans understand the equality of the sexes | 224 |
| CHAPTER XIII. ||
| That the principle of equality naturally divides the Americans into a number of small private circles | 228 |
| CHAPTER XIV. ||
| Some reflections on American manners | 230 |
| CHAPTER XV. ||
| Of the gravity of the Americans, and why it does not prevent them from often committing inconsiderate actions | 234 |
| CHAPTER XVI. ||
| Why the national vanity of the Americans is more restless and less captious than that of the English | 238 |
| CHAPTER XVII. ||
| That the aspect of society in the United States is at once excited and monotonous | 242 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. ||
| Of honour in the United States and in democratic communities | 245 |
| CHAPTER XIX. ||
| Why so many ambitious men, and so little lofty ambition, are to be found in the United States | 258 |
| CHAPTER XX. ||
| The trade of place-hunting in certain democratic countries | 265 |
| CHAPTER XXI ||
| Why great revolutions will become more rare | 267 |
| CHAPTER XXII. ||
| Why democratic nations are naturally desirous of peace, and democratic armies of war | 280 |
| CHAPTER XXIII. ||
| Which is the most warlike and most revolutionary class in democratic armies | 287 |
| CHAPTER XXIV. ||
| Causes which render democratic armies weaker than other armies at the outset of a campaign, and more formidable in protracted warfare | 291 |
| CHAPTER XXV. ||
| Of discipline in democratic armies | 296 |
| CHAPTER XXVI. ||
| Some considerations on war in democratic communities | 298 |
FOURTH BOOK.
INFLUENCE OF DEMOCRATIC OPINIONS AND SENTIMENTS ON POLITICAL SOCIETY.
| | Page |
| CHAPTER I. ||
| That equality naturally gives men a taste for free institutions | 306 |
| CHAPTER II. ||
| That the notions of democratic nations on government are naturally favourable to the concentration of power | 308 |
| CHAPTER III. ||
| That the sentiments of democratic nations accord with their opinions in leading them to concentrate political power | 312 |
| CHAPTER IV. ||
| Of certain peculiar and accidental causes which either lead a people to complete centralization of government, or which divert them from it | 317 |
| CHAPTER V. ||
| That among the European governments of our time the power of governments is increasing although the persons who govern are less stable | 323 |
| CHAPTER VI. ||
| What sort of despotism democratic nations have to fear | 336 |
| CHAPTER VII. ||
| Continuation of the preceding chapters | 345 |
| CHAPTER VIII. ||
| General survey of the subject | 352 |
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