Book Cover of Democracy in America

Democracy in America, Volume 1

by Alexis de Tocqueville

De La Démocratie en Amérique published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840) is a classic French text by Alexis de Tocqueville. Its title translates as On Democracy in America, but English translations are usually simply entitled Democracy in America. In the book, Tocqueville examines the democratic revolution that he believed had been occurring over the previous several hundred years. In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont were sent by the French government to study the American prison system. In his later letters Tocqueville indicates that he and Beaumont used their official business as a pretext to study American society instead. They arrived in New York City in May of that year and spent nine months traveling the United States, studying the prisons, and collecting information on American society, including its religious, political, and economic character. The two also briefly visited Canada, spending a few days in the summer of 1831 in what was then Lower Canada (modern-day Quebec) and Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario). After they returned to France in February 1832, Tocqueville and Beaumont submitted their report, Du système pénitentiaire aux États-Unis et de son application en France, in 1833. When the first edition was published, Beaumont was working on another book, Marie, ou, L'esclavage aux États-Unis (two volumes, 1835), a social critique and novel describing the separation of races in a moral society and the conditions of slaves in the United States. Before finishing Democracy in America, Tocqueville believed that Beaumont's study of the United States would prove more comprehensive and penetrating.
Books in 'Democracy in America' series
Democracy in America, Volume 1 by Alexis de Tocqueville

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

French

Published In

1835

Author

Alexis de Tocqueville image

Alexis Charles Henri Clérel, comte de Tocqueville colloquially known as Tocqueville was a French aristocrat, diplomat, political scientist, political philosopher and historian. He is best known...

More on Alexis de Tocqueville

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Essays on Political Economy Cover image

Essays on Political Economy by Frederic Bastiat

Bastiat asserted that the only purpose of government is to defend the right of an individual to life, liberty, and property. From this definition, Bas...

The Ethics Cover image

The Ethics by Benedict de Spinoza

Ethics, Demonstrated in Geometrical Order, usually known as the Ethics, is a philosophical treatise written in Latin by Benedictus de Spinoza. It was...

The Chronicles of America Volume 13 - The Fathers of the Constitution Cover image

The Chronicles of America Volume 13 - The Fathers of the Constitution by Max Farrand

Uncover the hidden secrets and pivotal decisions that shaped the very foundation of the United States in "The Fathers of the Constitution," Volume 13...

The Business of Being a Woman Cover image

The Business of Being a Woman by Ida Tarbell

In "The Business of Being a Woman," Ida Minerva Tarbell unveils a captivating exploration into the intricate tapestry of femininity and entrepreneursh...

The Subjection of Women  Cover image

The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill

The Subjection of Women is an essay by English philosopher, political economist and civil servant John Stuart Mill published in 1869, with ideas he de...

A Letter Concerning Toleration Cover image

A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke

Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke was originally published in 1689. Its initial publication was in Latin, though it was immediately translate...

Sesame and Lilies Cover image

Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin

In a world where men are consumed by wealth and women are confined to domesticity, Victorian social critic John Ruskin boldly challenges the status qu...

The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses of Theodore Roosevelt Cover image

The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses of Theodore Roosevelt by Theodore Roosevelt

The Strenuous Life: Essays and Addresses (1910) is a collection of Theodore Roosevelt’s published commentaries and public addresses on what is necessa...

The Exiles of Florida Cover image

The Exiles of Florida by Joshua Giddings

The Exiles of Florida, written by Joshua R. Giddings and first published in 1858, is a searing indictment of the United States government's role in th...

The Essence of Christianity  Cover image

The Essence of Christianity by Ludwig Feuerbach

This book is the foundation of modern atheism. There is scarcely any argument used today by atheists against the existence of God that Feuerbach had n...

Reviews for Democracy in America, Volume 1

No reviews posted or approved, yet...