A review by virtualmima
Democracy in America and Two Essays on America by Alexis de Tocqueville

informative

2.75

For the most part the analysis of democracy is too optimistic and full of unearned praise, even though it does admit flaws. As a European in an era where people were tired of monarchy and the inequality it brings, the author has reasons to support democracy and exaggerate its good qualities, so that should be kept in mind while reading. But also as a non-American, he doesn't share the embarrassingly arrogant patriotism that makes most Americans blind to the problems of their country, so he's also not afraid to point out the problems that Americans of that time turned a blind eye to. There were some interesting observations, like the motive for banning slavery in the North being more of an effort to reduce the black population than anything to do with human rights. Probably the most important idea here is the fatal flaw of democracy being the tyranny of the majority, which still holds true today, the only difference now being that the majority are being manipulated by the ultra wealthy into serving their desires. Although his assessment was moderately racist, he was able to predict the fate of the races here. He predicted that the Native Americans would be killed off and forced into increasingly smaller reservations as the US expands, until they have basically no land of their own. He also predicted that after emancipation, blacks and whites would remain separate, with increasing hostility as the whites tyrannize over the blacks, since the whites are the majority, and minorities cannot benefit from democracy.

In my opinion the main evil of the present democratic institutions of the United States does not arise, as is often asserted in Europe, from their weakness, but from their overpowering strength; and I am not so much alarmed at the excessive liberty which reigns in that country as at the very inadequate securities which exist against tyranny.
When an individual or a party is wronged in the United States, to whom can he apply for redress? If to public opinion, public opinion constitutes the majority; if to the legislature, it represents the majority, and implicitly obeys its injunctions; if to the executive power, it is appointed by the majority, and remains a passive tool in its hands; the public troops consist of the majority under arms; the jury is the majority invested with the right of hearing judicial cases; and in certain States even the judges are elected by the majority. However iniquitous or absurd the evil of which you complain may be, you must submit to it as well as you can.

The intellectual achievements of Americans today are still pretty small in comparison to other countries considering the population size, and our country still has not produced any outstanding philosophers. Democracy tends to mediocrity in taste and achievement, with any exceptions being lucky accidents and rarely achieve popular success. Here is Tocqueville's take:
America has up to now produced very few writers of distinction; it possesses no great historians, and not a single eminent poet. The inhabitants of that country look upon what are properly styled literary pursuits with a kind of disapprobation; and there are towns of very second-rate importance in Europe in which more literary works are annually published than in the twenty-four States of the Union put together. The spirit of the Americans is averse to general ideas; and it does not seek theoretical discoveries. Neither politics nor manufactures direct them to these occupations; and although new laws are perpetually enacted in the United States, no great writers have yet inquired into the general principles of their legislation. The Americans have lawyers and commentators, but no jurists; 1 and they furnish examples rather than lessons to the world. The same observation applies to the mechanical arts. In America, the inventions of Europe are adopted with sagacity; they are perfected, and adapted with admirable skill to the wants of the country. Manufactures exist, but the science of manufacture is not cultivated; and they have good workmen, but very few inventors. Fulton was obliged to proffer his services to foreign nations for a long time before he was able to devote them to his own country.