Democracy in America

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, Comte de Tocqueville (1805-1859) was a French diplomat and historian best known for the account of his trip to the United States in 1831, Democracy in America.

This classic analysis of America’s unique political character is quoted heavily by politicians and perennially pops up on history professors’ reading lists. The enduring appeal of Democracy in America lies in the eloquent, prophetic voice of Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), a French aristocrat who visited the United States in 1831. A thoughtful young man in a still-young country, he succeeded in penning this penetrating study of America’s people, culture, history, geography, politics, legal system, and economy. Tocqueville asserts, “I confess that in America I saw more than America; I sought the image of democracy itself, with its inclinations, its character, its prejudices, and its passions, in order to learn what we have to fear or hope from its progress.” As Bruce Frohnen notes in his introduction to this edition, this republication of Henry Reeve’s “important translation” beautifully showcases “one of the world’s greatest achievements in political philosophy.”